Jackets and Glitter
by SiennaBrown
Summary: Pacifica and Dipper have finally started going out. However, just because something normal has happened in their lives doesn't mean that Gravity Falls has turned normal, too. A gargoyle has made the woods surrounding the Mystery Shack into its labyrinthine home, and Dipper can't seem to stay away.
1. Chapter 1

Pacifica tugged her keys out of a worn pocket. Her perfectly manicured nails caught on the surrounding sweater, eliciting a tiny curse from her delicate mouth. Maybe it was time to put her favorite sweater to rest. She shoved the correct key into her car door, struggling to get it to turn properly. Ever since she had stood up to her parents about getting involved in the community, they had made life hard for her. Even though they had promised her a new car for her sixteenth birthday, they had given her this old hunk of junk. Shoving the metal out of her way, she flopped into the depressed driver's seat and closed the door with a loud thud behind her. Her eighteenth birthday was next month, and she wasn't sure what she wanted. Definitely a new car. She had her eye on one of those Tesla ones, but she wasn't about to get her hopes up. At this point she would be happy with something as common as a Toyota. Her parents would never get her something so nice with the way they were handling her desire to be a good person. All they ever asked was if she was ready to rejoin polite society. Her answer was always an eyeroll and to disappear into her room. The blonde stuck her car key into the ignition, then carefully pulled out of the parking space and into traffic. 

She didn't want to go home. Her chest filled with a feeling akin to how heavy lead was. Stomach sinking into her abdomen, she turned the exact opposite direction from her house. She pushed her bangs out of her eyelashes, noting that a haircut would be in order soon. Her fingers flicked the radio on before she could think enough to tell them to do so. The corners of her mouth turned up when she realized that it was the CD that Dipper had given her for her last birthday. It had a bunch of cute songs about love on it. The boy was such a dork, but he was so sweet that she couldn't help but want to hang out with him all the time. Her esophagus twisted around her heart as she realized that she would be off to college soon, college far away from Gravity Falls. Probably to learn how to be a lawyer so that her parents would actually pay for her education. The blonde ignored the sudden urge to smash her face into the steering wheel. 

She wished that her volunteer work at the library was actually a paid job. Then she could have money that she had earned, and maybe she would be able to pay for college herself. She couldn't get a real job, though. It was hard enough to convince her parents that volunteering at the library wasn't going to turn her into a common prole, despite the fact that it wouldn't matter to her one way or another if she was. Her headlights shone on the dirt path surrounded by trees that lead to the Mystery Shack. She hadn't meant to go there, but her brain must have been functioning on some level. She pulled into a parking space, letting the engine idle for a few minutes before turning the key. The engine silenced, Pacifica slowly climbed out of the front seat and stretched in the chilly night air. Being around books and small children all day was a taxing activity, but she didn't mind it. Goosebumps bristled over her skin as she walked towards the slanted building that felt more like home than her house did. 

The bell jingled as she threw the squeaky old door open, and Mabel stood up from behind the cash register, a bright smile lighting up the brunette's face as she recognized the blonde. 

"Oh, Pacifica! It's been ages, I love your sweater!" Pacifica chuckled, since Mabel had been the one who made the garment in question. 

"Thanks. It's starting to fall apart, though. I think I wear it too much." Mabel gasped, a glittery flash of fingertips rising to cover her mouth. 

"No such thing, dear. I'll make you a new one, though! It shouldn't be too hard, I just finished a different one for Candy about an hour ago. Come by tomorrow and it'll be all ready for ya!" Pacifica smiled at her friend, glad that they could be considered that despite how different they were. 

"Where's Dipper?" Mabel's smile intensified, and her eyebrows wiggled in that way that only she could manage. Pacifica immediately regretted asking. 

"He's up in his room. He said that he missed you, by the way. You two haven't seen each other in a week, after all." The blonde did not approve of that tone of voice, but she just shrugged it off despite the glowing feeling that started to run over her cheeks. 

"I've been busy, is all." 

"I see…" Pacifica glanced into Mabel's inquisitive hazel gaze. 

"Like, volunteering at the library while attending all my parent's stupid social functions busy, Mabel. I'm not trying to avoid your brother. He's just…" Dreamy. Loveable. Awkward. Cute. Daring. Smart. 

"He can be intense, sometimes." She looked at the floor while Mabel made kissing noises. If her cheeks weren't red before, they certainly were now. 

"Shut up, Mabel." She felt a sweater sleeve hit her shoulder and mimed being mortally wounded. 

"Pacifica. You like him and he likes you back, it's so obvious it makes me gag. Why won't you just ask him on a date?" Pacifica turned for the front door, "You know what, nah, I'll just-" A different door sounded at the other end of the room, and the blonde froze in her tracks as Mabel squealed. 

"Oh, Dipper~ I'll just leave you and Pacifica to chaaaaat-" And with that, Mabel was gone. Pacifica was certain the girl jumped out the small window behind the counter. She tried to get her cheeks under control before the blush spread to her ears. Dipper was being so quiet. She smoothed her skirt, then her sweater. Dipper stayed silent. She would get Mabel so bad for this. Maybe by gluing her arm to her forehead in her sleep. Or by drawing a moustache under her nose. Or by- 

"Uh." Dipper's voice had gotten so deep since they had first met. She couldn't turn around. She couldn't look at him. 

"Hi, Pacifica." She pressed a hand to one of her cheeks to see how hot it was. The slight scald that followed told her not to turn around. Her heart started doing jumping jacks. 

"Hi, Dipper." Lame. So lame. God, she was lame. 

"You, uh, you gonna turn around or should I just pretend this is normal?" She slowly turned, but kept her face glued to the floor. His sneakers were grass stained and falling apart. Glitter sparkled on the laces from one of Mabel's projects. The hems of his pants were slightly higher than where pants should have rested, which meant that the lanky boy had grown again. She was jealous. Dipper chuckled a little. 

"I didn't know you were visiting today." Pacifica nodded. Dumb. Lame. 

"Well, I was about to go find a mysterious creature in the woods, you want to come along?" She blinked and looked up in surprise. And was hit full-force by his attractive face. His hazel eyes were soft and warm, like a fireplace on a rainy day. His cheeks and nose were a little red, but his nose was always like that. The red on his cheeks showed off how great his cheekbones were. His bangs covered the silly birthmark just like they usually did, but they were getting to be too long. Just like her own. She had been staring for too long. She chuckled nervously, a hand running through her blonde hair so that it wouldn't wander over to his hair. 

"Yeah, sounds great, why not, let's, uh, I'm gonna…" She trailed off as Dipper's cheeks flushed further red. He was nervous too. She threw her hair over her shoulder, "Let's go!" He positively beamed as he held the door for her, and didn't seem to stop until she couldn't see his face due to the lack of light. He zipped his jacket up, and pulled out a flashlight. She accidentally stepped too close and brushed her shoulder against his arm. Heat rose into her cheeks, which were still hot from the previous blush. 

"So, what are we looking for?" He shined the light onto his journal, with enough spilling over the edges of the paper that they could see where to place their feet. 

"I think it's a gargoyle, but haven't been able to get a good enough sighting to decide." Pacifica smiled a little, then stuffed her hands into her pockets. The hole in the right hand side got a little bigger. 

"I mean, it could also be a gryphon. I'm not a hundred percent sure-" He continued rambling like that, arguing semantics with himself as they walked further into the woods. Pacifica listened to his voice as they walked, breathing in time with him and answering when he asked her questions. Finally, they reached a tree that mimicked a sequoia in girth and height. He shined the flashlight up the trunk, and she reached out to touch the rough bark. 

"This is where I last saw it, so I figured we could stay here and see if it would come back." The blonde turned and smiled, "Sure!" He was so soothing to be around. Despite all the blushing and heart thumping. He just had that sort of voice that made a person feel safe and warm. 

"I mean, I was up in the tree…" Pacifica felt her eyebrows twist into one of those 'are you shitting me?' expressions. She was in a skirt. Did he expect her to climb a tree in a skirt? 

"We can stay on the ground, I guess." She shook her head. 

"Will you be able to see it on the ground?" He stared at the grass, cheeks totally and absolutely red. 

"No…" The blonde grabbed the nearest tree branch, "You go first. I'm not about to show off my underwear, here." She blushed as she said it, but the expression on his face was totally worth her own embarrassment. He tucked the journal into his jacket, put the flashlight between his teeth, then hoisted himself into the tree. Pacifica followed, a few branches behind. Her phone vibrated in her pocket, but she ignored the text. Falling out of a huge tree was not on her list of things to do. 

She was glad that she had worn sneakers that day. Her normal flats would have been shredded by the time they got to a good perching point. The moon was halfway gone, it's weak light illuminating the tops of the trees. The sight was absolutely breathtaking. She shivered a little. 

"Are you cold?" She looked over at Dipper, who had extinguished the flashlight. He looked genuinely concerned, but still flushed from the exercise of climbing. She shook her head. 

"You sure? You can borrow my jacket." He nudged her with a sleeve. She giggled a little, then accepted the offering. It smelled like bargain detergent and pine needles and something that was so distinctly Dipper Pines that it felt like a violation to be wearing his jacket. 

"Thanks" She kind of wanted to keep it. Like, really wanted to keep it. She also wanted to smack her traitor brain for feeling that way. Butterflies started to unfurl in her stomach. 

They sat in the tree for hours, so many that she actually fell asleep on the branch. The blonde awoke to her companion gently shaking her shoulder and whispering excitedly. She had forgotten where she was. A glance down gave her more vertigo than she had planned on, and she flailed a little before Dipper's strong arms steadied her. 

"Sorry, Pacifica, but look!" He pointed to another tall tree in the distance. An impossibly large winged critter landed in the branches, then stopped moving and blended in with the foliage. Dipper's not-pointing arm was wrapped around her shoulders, which was distracting her from the thing they were observing. He was so strong… 

"That's incredible! Do you have a camera?" He removed his arm. 

"In the right pocket." In the right pocket of wha- oh wait, she was wearing his jacket. She fumbled with the zippers on the pocket, then handed him the disposable camera. 

"Thanks!" He flashed a stunning grin, then quickly focused on camera things. She pressed her face into the fabric of his coat, noting that now it smelled like his soap and her shampoo. It was a cute mix of woody and flowery. She took the jacket off and handed it back to him when he finished taking photos. 

"Really, Pacifica, thanks for coming out here with me. It means a lot." His shy smile melted her cheeks and heart. He was blushing worse than she was. His hand scooted a little closer to hers. Their fingertips brushed, sending a nervous jolt of electricity through her arm. She flicked her eyes up from the branch to rest on his face, which was leaning closer and closer and she was so lost in the depths of his eyes. The greens and blues and browns swallowed her as their lips pressed together. She let her eyes close, then leaned in to return the gesture. His hand pressed over hers, fingers winding together. Her free hand gently reached up to cup his strong jaw. Her heart was in overdrive, but she wanted this moment to last forever. 

When they were back on the ground, all of her worries about college and leaving him were whirling through her head at intense speeds. He had tied his jacket around his waist, and they were standing awkwardly close but somehow not close enough. 

"Dipper?" Her voice was squeaky from nerves. She fiddled with the hole in her sweater pocket. 

"Yeah, Pacifica?" She blinked at the ground, then tried to meet his eyes. 

"I have to go away for college. My parents…" He nodded, sadness seeping into his expression. 

"Is that why you were avoiding me?" Tears pricked her eyes. She swiped at them with the sleeve of her sweater. 

"I didn't mean to, I was just scared because I didn't want to start something and then have to break it off-" He grabbed her hands with a little more force than was necessary, but was able to catch her teary gaze before she looked down again. 

"You don't have to be scared, Pacifica." He said her name too much. She blinked, tears overflowing just like her sense of hopelessness. 

"But how can we have a normal relationship if my parents reject everything I want to become? They've already rejected you, ever since that party with the lumberjack ghost! How can I ever do anything…" He pulled her close, releasing her hands in favor of the greatest bear hug she had ever been involved in. She cried into his shoulder, and he just let her. 

"Pacifica, they're your parents but they don't run your life. Take things as slow as you need to, but don't be afraid to do what you want. Get a job, go to college, be wherever you want. Just keep in touch. We'll work it out." She nodded into his now wet shoulder. Her phone started buzzing violently. She jumped out of Dipper's grasp and answered the call from her mother. Dipper stood awkwardly to the side as she got a lecture for being out so late, then walked her to her car and helped her get the door open. 

"Pacifica?" She looked at him as the engine turned over and started to purr. 

"Yeah, Dipper?" He leaned in and kissed her again. 

"Call me, okay?" She smiled and nodded, rubbing her nose against his. 

"Yeah, Dipper, get some!" Mabel shouted from the Mystery Shack. Pacifica stared at the steering wheel as her new boyfriend went inside to give his sister a stern talking to. Pacifica smiled, renewed resolution shining in her heart. She could handle her parents. She could handle anything the future threw at her. She blushed as she pulled out of the parking lot. She could handle a long distance relationship. 


	2. Chapter 2

Dipper looked around the cave, ears peeled for any noises that weren't his own. Water drips and echoes were all that met his ears. His penlight cast an eerie stream of light in exactly one direction, which was beginning to make his peripheral vision go crazy. He squinted at the wall in front of him. He could go either left or right at at, and he had no idea where the gryphon he was following had gone. It had shrieked like a banshee when it stormed the cave, but as soon as he had set foot inside everything went silent except for the constant trickle of water. He arbitrarily went left, only to find that it was a dead end. Backtracking, he found three open tunnels where he had thought only the one had existed. The brunette wished that he had had the presence of mind to bring a string of yarn or some glitter or something to mark his trail. But no, such foresight was not in his repertoire despite how many times he had wandered into such labyrinthian situations. 

In theory, he should have told Mabel where he was going. He should have brought someone along. Dipper's penlight flickered, and he mentally smacked his forehead for not bringing spare batteries. The light dimmed, almost to the point of being unusable. He wasn't sure if he should stay still or keep walking. He was obviously lost, but he was also in a cave deep in the forest. It was highly likely that nobody would find him. Sweat trickled down his temple and spine, and he set his jaw in determination. There were ways to get out of caves like this. Maybe he could pretend to be a bat and echolocate his way out. He opened his mouth to say things, but no sound came out. He frowned, then tried again.

Still nothing. His light went out. He sighed dejectedly. And here he had told Pacifica that they could go on a date the next day. His cheeks flushed a little, and the temperature in the cave rose a bit more. The brunette took his jacket off and folded it, gently protecting the journal that was inside. He was definitely screwed. His eyes adjusted to the light a lot faster than he adjusted to his fate. 

* * *

Mabel wandered around the Mystery Shack, poking her face into every room and cabinet and corner. All she found was some stray glitter and a family tree of dust bunnies. She collected some of the bigger ones to put googly eyes on later. 

"Diiiiipperrrrrrr!" She checked his room for the twelfth time. Her twin was still not in there. She didn't let that get her down, though. He had to be somewhere! She grinned a little as she texted Pacifica. 

_Coo coo catchoo!_ She waited a few seconds for a response, then sent another message. 

_PACIFICA._ Still nothing. She tapped her foot. 

_I swear to goat if u and dipperdoodle are canoodling over there I am gonna have to get the puppets._ That one got a response pretty quickly. Mabel smiled at her phone and Pacifica's disgruntled text. 

_MABEL WHAT. NO. no no no no._ The brunette giggled, then went out on the porch to look around the edge of the forest until Pacifica asked her why she was texting. 

_I can't find my bro. He with u?_ Pacifica sent back another no. Mabel frowned. She thought for sure that Dipper and Pacifica were hanging out today. Was that tomorrow? Worry set in. Her idiot dork of a brother was probably out in the woods by himself again. She sent him a fiftieth text message. 

_Dipper I'm going out into the woods to find u. if i die this is ur fault!_ She also asked his girlfriend to come over to help her find him. 

By the time Pacifica got to the shack, Mabel had geared up with a backpack full of yarn, knitting needles, snacks, and water bottles. The blonde's car trundled up the drive and groaned to a lurching halt in the gravel parking area. Mabel rushed over, backpack at the ready and knitting needles in hand. 

"Pacifica! He hasn't been answering my texts and I'm sure he's in the woods but they are huge you need to help me!" Pacifica rubbed her new sweater sleeve a little and met her friend's gaze. 

"Mabel, how long has he been gone for?" Mabel stared at the ground, trying to do mental math. 

"I think… Five hours?" Pacifica nodded, "Yeah, okay, that sounds like a reasonable amount of time compared to how worried you are." 

"Okay, you were hanging out with him last Pacifica, where do you think he could be?" Mabel stared long and hard, not blinking until she got an answer from the blushing blonde. 

"Maybe, uh, at this big tree?" Mabel nodded, "And where is this tree?" Pacifica rubbed the back of her head, averting her eyes while continuing to blush. If Mabel hadn't been so worried about her brother's well-being, she would have poked a little fun at her friend. 

"In the woods." Mabel grabbed one of Pacifica's cheeks, "LEAD US." 

* * *

Pacifica led Mabel to the large tree, then they both climbed the tree just in time to see the gryphon curl up on it's tree. The blonde looked at her friend, "Mabel, he must have gone to that tree." 

"But we're already in a tree!" Pacifica screeched a little as Mabel dipped backwards over the branch and hung from her knees about a hundred feet off the ground. 

"Mabel. Please. Let's get to the other tree, then we can find him from there. Just stop hanging like-" Mabel pulled something out of her bag. It looked like a gun with a hook on the end. Pacifica's stomach dropped. 

"Mabel." 

"GRAPPLING HOOK!" A whooshing noise hit Pacifica's ears as her stomach lurched again but instead of just being a bad feeling it was because her friend had grabbed onto her ankle and dragged her from the tree. She screamed a lot, but Mabel just giggled the whole time they swung from the tree to the ground. As soon as they stopped swinging, Mabel gently let Pacifica down. It took about two minutes for the blonde to stop dry-heaving, but when she had calmed down enough to make her friend promise to never ever ever EVER do that again, she was able to sort of laugh about it a little. How many people did she know who owned and commonly used grappling hooks? Literally only Mabel. That was how many. 

The girls found the tree after an hour or so of walking, and Pacifica had barely touched the trunk before a horrible grating noise echoed from the top of the tree. Her blue eyes caught Mabel's hazel ones, then they both looked up. A giant bird thing was crawling down the trunk of the tree, wings flapping and raining small pebbles from the sky. It's skin was grey and looked like freshly cut marble. Pacifica took a small step away from the tree trunk. The creature tilted its large head, then let out an eardrum crushing squawk. Mabel threw something that Pacifica hoped wasn't glitter. The monster leaped from the tree, claws outstretched and beak open. 

The blonde tried to scream. Nothing but air escaped her lips. She felt something hit her in the side, and she toppled over into the grass as the beast hit the ground. She blinked. Mabel had shoved her out of the way, and now there was a huge hole in the ground where they had previously stood. Mabel looked into it, then grabbed Pacifica's hand. Her face looked grim. Her gaze flicked to the cave-in, then back to the blonde. Pacifica squeezed her friend's hand, then checked out the abyss. 

The edges were roughly the same shape and size of the creature, but to be fair the thing had been humongous so the hole was too. The dirt quickly turned to stone, but it wasn't too deep. Maybe ten feet at most? She squinted. It appeared to be a tunnel of some sort. Pacifica pulled her pensive gaze away from the hole and looked back at Mabel, who was smiling a little apologetically and holding up the grappling hook. Pacifica sent up a mental prayer to please let her stomach not reject their current course of action. 

They had enough yarn to tie one end around the tree before they jumped in so that they wouldn't get too lost. Mabel also left little stickers at every crossroad they came to in case the yarn got too confusing. Pacifica thought the yarn was fine, but she wasn't about to tell Mabel to stop. They were stressed and silent because of whatever magic kept them from speaking. The only thing they could hear was the constant drip of water. She snuggled into her sweater, all fluffy and new since she retired the old one. It had a proper viking funeral. Mabel wouldn't have it any other way. 

It felt like they had been walking forever. They kept hitting dead ends and having to backtrack and untangle yarn and cough glitter out of their lungs. They played rock, paper, scissors to choose which way to go. Pacifica was about ready to just leave when she saw a flicker of light down a tunnel. She nudged Mabel, who was busy placing some stickers onto a rock to mimic a face. Mabel nodded at her when she pointed, and off they went. The light got more and more intense as they walked, and before long Pacifica was just shutting her eyes and walking blindly forward. 

And then the walls disappeared from her probing finger tips and she stopped moving so that they wouldn't inadvertently walk off a cliff. Mabel bumped into her. She blinked a few times, eyes adjusting to the bright light. Pacifica's breath caught in her throat. 

The cave had opened up into a large chamber made entirely out of crystal. The whole room glowed bright white, and the ceiling was so far away that all she could see was a white haze. In the center of the circular hall was a raised platform, upon which was a throne. On the throne was- 

"Dipper!" Pacifica gasped at Mabel's loud outburst, made louder by the fact that no sound had been uttered for over an hour. The brown haired girl ran over to her twin, sputtering and trying to get him to wake up. The steady dripping noise had fallen silent, and Pacifica's ears rang from the quiet. She stepped closer, finally able to hear herself breathe. Dipper wasn't waking up. She felt tears form below her eyelids, threatening to break loose. Movement behind the clear crystalline throne made her look away from her friends. 

The gargoyle was standing on it's hind legs, wings outstretched for balance and it's tail draped elegantly over its left foreleg. It stared, eyes glowing a deep red hue. 

"Children." The voice echoed around the cavern, and Pacifica found herself moving to stand over Mabel and Dipper. Mabel was crying. The blonde stretched her arms out to protect them both as best as she could. The creature moved forward, water beginning to drip from its open beak. 

"Why have you followed me here? It was bad enough that the boy nosed his way into this territory, but now you as well?" Pacifica felt her face go from sad to confused. She glanced at Mabel, who had stopped sobbing and was staring at the monster that slowly walked towards them. Pacifica thought it was obvious why they were there. 

"We were looking for our friend." The gargoyle leaned to see Dipper's face a little more clearly. 

"Ah, I see. Well, he has drunk the tears of fate and cannot leave this room." Pacifica's mouth went dry. She licked her cracked lips in an effort to get her tongue to work properly. All the blood drained from her face and pooled into her hands that now dangled limply at her sides. 

"Is there any possible way to get him out of here? To reverse what he did?" The bird-like beast tilted its head once more, this time to look inquisitively at the blonde. Mabel gently set her brother down on the throne and rubbed a hand over her face before joining Pacifica in front of the stone creature. 

"Yeah, we can't just leave him here like this." The bird clicked it's beak a few times, water droplets flying through the air to disappear in a spray of sparkles and mist. 

"I suppose… a trade could be made." Pacifica looked at Mabel through her bangs. The other girl looked desperate. 

"What do we have to do?" 

Two days later, or at least what felt like two days later, Mabel had knitted a human shaped stuffed thing to replace Dipper's body in the room. They had to shove some of his hair and spit into it in order for the thing to work properly, but the winged beast had assured them that after they made the voodoo doll that there was only one more step. 

The thing also refused to say what the step was. 

"Why can't you just tell us?" Pacifica kicked one of her sneakers across the hall, which took an incredible amount of frustration and strength because the hall was so wide that it winded her just to walk from one end to the other. It hit the ground in a cloud of glitter and Mabel struggled not to start crying again. 

"It is against the rules of the labyrinth. I cannot give you all the clues. It would cause my, and your, destruction were I to utter another helpful syllable." The blonde scoffed at the magical being. 

"That is bullshit and I want a refund." The creature blinked in confusion. 

"Forget it." Mabel laid down next to the throne that Dipper was propped up against, gently kicking the crystal step. The grandeur had lost all appeal over the past however long they had been trapped inside. Pacifica was about ready to punch the next thing that annoyed her, and so far it was starting to be that stupid gargoyle. 

"You haven't tried a whole lot of things. Perhaps-" Pacifica whirled around to face the monster, hair slowly fluttering into place about her shoulders. Her clear blue eyes flashed in the odd light that emanated from the ceiling. 

"Perhaps instead of telling us that we haven't exhausted all our options, you could go away since you are literally no help at all!" The creature stepped back, beak open and dripping. Pacifica swallowed, her gravelly throat a reminder that it had been hours since she had drunk water. The girls had rationed the water bottles, but they had only brought so many and now they were gone. 

"As you wish." It poofed out of existence in a slight rain shower. Mabel made a strangled noise from by the throne. 

"Pacifica, we can't lose hope! We have to think of something. Maybe we could tickle him again?" The blonde stared at her bare feet. Her toenails were purple, a little messy because her hand to eye coordination was a little off when it came to creative endeavors. 

"Why not, Mabel?" She heard the brunette try a few things in addition to tickling her brother. She sat down at the edge of the step, cheeks on her bony knees and her brain ignoring the challenge at hand in favor of remembering Dipper. From before the whole cavern and gargoyle fiasco. 

Getting the door slammed in her face, saving the mansion and the party. Him giving her that adorable mix CD of love songs and cutesy folk music. Staying up all night talking in her car, in trees. Seeing him at the library and knowing that he had gone just to visit her. Their first kiss… 

"Yeah, Pacifica, that's a great idea!" The blonde jumped, mouth and lips feeling even drier than before. Heat rushed into her cheeks. 

"I, uh, excuse me, what did I say?" Mabel offered her friend a shining smile. 

"You were thinking out loud again, silly. I say kiss him. It can't get any worse than the situation we're in right now." The female twin held up the imitation Dipper that they had made. Pacifica felt her blush deepen. 

"O-okay, but, turn around, alright?" Mabel grinned and threw the plushie at her. The blonde caught their creation, then slowly stepped up to the throne. Dipper was just sitting there, head lolled to the side, mouth slightly open. She glanced at Mabel to make sure her friend wasn't watching. Assured that there wouldn't be any weird ogling happening, Pacifica clutched the pretend dipper to her chest and leaned in. 

It was weird to kiss a person who was dead to the world. Normally he would have been smiling against her lips, tugging her close so that their chests met. Keeping her on her toes. He didn't respond at all, and she felt weird because of it. She pulled away, keeping her eyes locked on his face. Maybe it would kick in after a short period of time? 

The patted Mabel on the head, "I don't think it worked." The brunette sighed. 

"It was worth a shot, Pacifica. Good effort." Pacifica stared at her friend's dejected posture, then sat next to the girl and hugged her. 

"We'll figure something out." Mabel sighed again, "What if we don't, though? We're running out of snacks and the only water in this place are those 'tears of fate,' and if we drink that we'll be trapped here, too!" Pacifica smoothed her sweater a little, rubbing a few of the buttons until they sparkled like candy. A thought occurred to her. The gargoyle had left. 

"Mabel, let's leave the dummy, grab Dipper, and run for it."


	3. Chapter 3

" _If you drink the water from this room, you will never be able to set foot outside again. Are you sure you want to risk it?" The brunette licked his cracked and bleeding lips with a tongue that felt like gravel. The water radiated a sweet coolness that he was certain nothing bottled or drawn from a well could rival. That thought may have been from the dehydration, but he didn't care. If he waited too long, he would die._

" _Self preservation says to drink the water."_

 _The other voice echoed around the crystalline structure, "As you wish." Dipper cast his hazel eyes over the pool, pink water reflecting his thirsty gaze. His eyes were red where they should have been white and his hair looked more gray than the usual brown. The source of the pool seemed to be a small stream that trickled from the seat of the large crystal throne. He dipped his hand into the water, fingertips scraping the smooth bottom. He brought the liquid to his lips, then hesitated. He looked around the room, but saw nothing aside from the crystal walls and white lights illuminating the space._

 _Memories of Mabel and Grunkle Stan went through his head. Sharing a room, having some of the best summers of his life, eating junk food all day, getting Waddles, meeting Grunkle Ford, and Pacifica. If he really couldn't leave the room he would be leaving them all behind. He'd be leaving them either way, really. At least if he was alive he could figure out a way to contact them. The water he had collected had drained through the cracks between his thin fingers. He laid next to the puddle and stuck his face into it. The liquid was ice cold, smoother than the floor he was pressed against. He drank too quickly, but the clear taste of mountain springs left him wanting more._

 _Having drunk the whole puddle, Dipper slowly sat up and looked around. His energy was still fading, and he still didn't see the gargoyle he had followed to the chamber. The brunette struggled to his feet, only to trip over his own feet into the throne. Once seated, his eyelids fluttered shut. He was so… Tired…_

" _Let eternity begin." The voice echoed across his skull until the words were just noise. Until the noise faded into nothingness._

* * *

"Pacifica, I hear hooves again." Dipper frowned a little, but kept his eyes closed. If it was a Saturday, he deserved to sleep in.

"Shit, Mabel, I hear them too. It must be getting closer. Keep following the yarn, we cannot afford to get lost now!" Okay, he was officially listening and becoming more aware of his surroundings. He was being carried, and the familiar scent of kid's watermelon shampoo and conditioner told him that it was his twin doing the carrying. He literally couldn't open his eyes, though. That was frustrating. He frowned a little more as he realized that the only thing he could do was make facial expressions and breathe. He listened for the hoof noises that the girls were talking about, and over the subtle sound of fingers on yarn he heard the slow steps of a two legged hoofed being. He suppressed the urge to run, which was easy because his legs weren't responding to his brain's signals yet.

The girls picked up the pace, communicating mostly by gestures that Dipper couldn't see or ask about. The hooves got closer the faster the girls went. Suddenly they stopped, muffled noises of surprise coming from Mabel as she walked into Pacifica and Dipper's hands got caught in the smooth blonde locks.

"Hello, girls." A familiar voice said, way too close for comfort. What sounded like rocks and pebbles grating against each other meant that the voice belonged to the gargoyle. He wanted to punch that stupid bird. 'No, I can't show you the way out, that would be against the rules!' literally everything helpful was against bird-brain's rules. He huffed, blowing Mabel's long brown hair out of his nose.

"Get out of our way. We left the dummy in exchange, and we got him out of that pink chamber even though you said that he couldn't leave, so we're legit leaving now." Pacifica sounded like she was scared out of her wits. The boy tried to say something, but his mouth wouldn't open properly. All he could do was breathe. He sighed in dejection.

"The trade hasn't been properly made."

"Yeah, well, your vague directions left a lot to be desired. We interpreted as we saw fit, and we are leaving now."

"He cannot-" A foot stomped on the ground, scattering pebbles and debris.

"You said he couldn't leave the crystal room, but here he is!" A whoosh of air made him think someone was pointing at him. Mabel shifted her grip nervously.

"He cannot-"

"Get out of our way!" There were some noises, gravel on shoes and hooves and Mabel screamed. He felt his ass hit the floor before he heard his sister move.

"GRAPPLING HOOK!" Metal hit stone and screaming filled his ears. His heart rate picked up, rump stinging where it had hit the ground so hard. Everything sounded like an avalanche and he couldn't see Mabel and he couldn't see Pacifica and he couldn't DO anything.

"The trade has been made." The fighting slowed, then stopped. Dipper's ears strained to catch every single sound. A slight dripping echoed around the walls. Someone stepped backwards in a hazardous fashion, probably catching herself on the wall. A metallic scent rose into his nose. The iron and copper tang nearly made him gag.

Slick and shaky hands scooped him back up, gently tugging him back into a piggyback position. His sister's shampoo reassured him and blocked out the tang of blood. She shuffled around gingerly, dragging a heavy something behind her. He could feel her breath hitch through the sweater. He suddenly really wished that he could have seen what happened.

After a while, he could open his eyes. The labyrinth was just as abysmal as he remembered, but the path they were on was well lit. Mabel paused to reorganize herself. A blonde head bobbed into view, then was obscured by Mabel's shoulder. A pair of bloody legs gently swayed on the other side. Pacifica's sneakers were twice as worn as he remembered, covered in dust and grime and red splotches. He might have not been breathing properly.

"Dipperdoodle, don't you dare die on me." Wetness dripped onto his arms.

"I promise." It was barely more than a whisper, but it stunned his sister into not walking. She sniffled a little.

"Okay." She slowly started walking, tears dripping onto him and sniffling every now and then. But the time they reached the cave opening, he was gingerly walking along beside his sister and stealing glances down at Pacifica's unconscious body. He offered to help carry her, but Mabel had just shaken her head and delicately pulled her friend closer to her chest.

They stepped out of the cave system and into the forest. Dipper turned around in time to see the mouth of the cave fade out of existence. He stared at the blank air, wondering if it was an alternate dimension or if a person just had to fulfil certain qualities in order to see it. He shook his head, then followed his sister back to the Mystery Shack.


	4. Chapter 4

Pacifica brushed her bangs out of her eyes, then stared at the library book in her hand. The author's name started with a Q but she couldn't find the Q section of the genre it was to be stored in. She was tempted to just leave it lying around, but the last time she had done that she had been lectured at. Her bandaged right leg twinged painfully, something that it had been doing ever since the labyrinth fiasco. She sat down at the table near the shelf she was trying to put the book on, rubbing absentmindedly at the healing wound. She couldn't believe that all the events that had happened took place over the course of a few hours. Being inside that cave had felt like days or even weeks.

What she found even harder to believe was the fact that her boyfriend had been so caught up in the pursuit of a mystery that he hadn't brought his phone with him to investigate. Or that he walked into a cave with no way to find the entrance again. Or that he went in there with no food and no water. She was just having a hard time forgiving him for being an idiot. The blonde sighed in relief as the pain subsided. She supposed this was their first fight. If avoiding someone for days on end counted as fighting. Her phone buzzed in her pocket, which she ignored. If it was important, the other person could call her.

The teen found the spot where the book was supposed to go, having overlooked it quite a few times before, and gently placed it back on the shelf. How could a person get so wrapped up in this mystery stuff that they forgot any and all sense of self preservation? She slammed another book into place, taking out her anger on the bound pages instead of the object of her fury. The door jingled as someone opened it to come inside, and she instinctively looked over.

She recognized Dipper's hat before she caught sight of his face. Before she could look away and pretend that she hadn't seen him, his tired hazel eyes caught her sky blue ones. His eyebrows shifted up in the middle, pleading for forgiveness without saying a single word. She forced her eyes to stare at her cart of books to return to the shelves. Her heart rose into her throat, desperate to remove herself from the whole situation. She hadn't thought that he would show up at work. She felt trapped. Her dainty hands grabbed the cart and started moving away from the boy. Pacifica knew he was following her. She knew the sound of his shoes on the short carpet, the way his arms swished against his jacket.

"Pacifica." His voice was hushed as she jabbed the button for the elevator. She kept staring at the books on her cart.

"Pacifica, please." The blonde looked past the books and down at her sneakers, which still had splotches of her own blood on them. And mud.

"Talk to me. I'm begging you." The elevator dinged, and she shoved the cart inside, then quickly followed it into the beige confines. Dipper slipped in at the last second.

"Look, I understand that you're mad at me for saying stupid shit, I get it, I'm really sorry, but it's hard to have a grown-up conversation about this when I'm monologuing over here." She pressed her lips together, the thin white line making Dipper sigh.

All she could remember was running into that gargoyle's space, literally fighting to free Dipper from that endless maze. Hitting the wall, bleeding… And then waking up at the Mystery Shack. Mabel had been blubbering into Dipper's shoulder about Pacifica being dead, their Grunkle Stan had been trying to fix her leg and yelling for them to just leave so he could concentrate. Her head had felt like someone stuffed it with packing peanuts and cream of mushroom soup. She had been deemed okay after an hour or two of resting and drinking water and nibbling on saltines. But she didn't want to drive, so Dipper had. And he had been so thoughtless.

'Why did you go after me, Pacifica? That was so dangerous! You could have died, we don't know enough about gargoyles yet. Why would you just run up to the thing and kick it? That was so stupid.' She hadn't had the energy to say anything to him, although she had felt awful. She knew he was just worried and trying to blow off steam, but he was framing her over his frustrations and it wasn't fair. So, she had been avoiding him. Ignoring his texts, calls, visits. Or, at least that third part had been true before she got stuck in the world's slowest elevator with him.

She angrily scooted the cart out into the children's section, a fake smile plastered to her face as she returned picture books and tiny readers to their shelves. With her cart empty, she straightened a few chairs. Dipper was getting more and more annoyed the longer she stayed silent. She was, too. He had her trapped at work, she couldn't leave just because he was following her. Anger burned in her gut as she slammed the cart into the back room that it was to be housed in. She whirled around, grabbed Dipper's arm, and dragged him into the small room as well. The fluorescent lights hadn't warmed up enough to cast their full glow, bathing the room in shadows.

"How dare you come here and corner me like this." Her voice was low and harsher than she ever would have been had they been on better terms. Dipper stepped back, slight fear replacing the agitation drawn on his face.

"Furthermore, how dare you go monster hunting without your cell phone or supplies of any sort? What the fuck kind of person literally leaves the house with nothing but a broken pen light and a book? You put yourself in danger before any sort of magical creature possibly could. And then, because we can't file a missing persons report after only five hours, you put Mabel and me in danger too. We had to pack our bags and go searching through those infernal woods for you. Only to find out that you had drunk some weird magic water in a magic labyrinth! And the creator of said labyrinth kept saying that you couldn't leave. We worked so hard to get you out of there, I punched a rock in the face for you! And when you went to drop me off at home, somehow it was my fault for trying to find you? And I shouldn't have?" Hot tears were streaming from her eyes, and she knew that her face was red and splotchy. Her boyfriend looked taken aback, his eyes too wide and scared. She didn't stop there. She had so many grievances to air.

"So don't you dare-" She hiccupped, emotions taking over her body.

"Don't you dare come to my place of work and try to tell me that I'm making things hard for you, Dipper Pines. I am so infuriated right now." He glanced over his shoulder as someone walked by the room, then back at Pacifica. The fluorescents were burning as brightly as they knew how. His eyebrows lowered over his eyes.

"Do you want me to stop going after the creatures in the journals then?" Pacifica blinked, confused.

"Why would I want you to stop? I just want you to be safer about it." He crossed his arms over his chest, anger seeping into the edges of his voice.

"I mean, the next logical leap would obviously be that this magic stuff is too dangerous and that I should just give it up, right?"

"Dipper, I don't know what futuristic possibilities you're talking about right now, all I wanted was for you to bring your phone and maybe water that isn't possessed? Look, part of the reason I like you so much is because you want to explore the unknown. Why would I want you to stop being yourself?" His shoulders slumped a little. She felt too hot and too cold and just numb.

"You're right, I'm sorry." She raised an eyebrow.

"Sorry for what?" He was staring at the floor, eyes obscured by the brim of his hat.

"I'm sorry for jumping to conclusions." She silently took a step forward, "And?"

"I'm sorry for going into the woods with only a book and a broken penlight."

"And?" She took another step towards him, face still red but slowly cooling down under the vivid blue lights hanging from the ceiling.

"And I'm so very super extremely sorry for making you feel awful when I was dropping you off at your house. I was panicked and I shouldn't have said anything at all. I'm the worst boyfriend in the world, Pacifica, please, would you please forgive me for being an asshole?" A small smile lifted the corners of her mouth. Her leg twinged again, signalling her to the fact that she had been standing on it for too long yet again. She ignored it, wiping her sweaty palms on her skirt and taking Dipper's white-knuckled hands into her own instead. He jumped a little, hazel eyes flashing as his hat fell off.

"You're forgiven." He started crying, with tears and sniffles and his normally pink nose turning a regrettable shade of red. She hugged him, letting their bodies fall together like a house of cards would fall apart. He practically crushed her to his chest, his cheek pressed against the top of her head. Pacifica let the hug last, at least as long as her leg would let her. She gently pulled away as the twinges turned into a more steady throbbing. At least her dorky boyfriend had stopped crying.

She handed him a handkerchief and sat on the cart even though she had been told many times not to do so. He took it and said thank you, even though she wasn't expecting him to. She waited for him to stop blowing his nose.

"I think we need to lay down some ground rules for a minute." He nodded at her statement, leaning against the door.

"Do not come here if we are having a fight. I mean, if I'm working, I can't deal with emotions and this. I don't get paid, Dipper. My time is all I have to give and I cannot be angry here. Not with you, and not with the people who come here searching for peace and quiet. If we're having a fight, I don't want to see your face here while I'm working." He nodded again, folding the hankie a few times.

"Secondly, what are you going to bring with you into the woods next time?" He sniffled a bit, "My cell phone."

"I don't even care if you don't get a signal out there, I want you to have it at all times just in case. I was also thinking of a second item you should carry around while hiking." She rolled her hand at him so that he would continue his answer.

"Non-magicked water."

"Very good. That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure we'll find other things before too long." Dipper nodded, still fiddling with the hankie. She thought about getting up, but her leg told her no. Instead, she gestured at the brunette, glad that the sick feeling in her gut had subsided. He slowly shuffled over, clearly not expecting the hug that she gave him. He held her gingerly, like she was the most expensive vase he had ever seen in his life. She tilted her head and kissed the closest part of his skin, which happened to be his jaw.

"Dipper, look at me." He turned so that their faces were aligned. She gave him a quick smooch.

"I like you a lot, hon. We're gonna have fights, and probably a lot of them. But I freak out because I care." He kissed her back, gentler than any other kiss they'd shared.

"I like you a lot, too."


	5. Chapter 5

Mabel unplugged the hot glue gun from the wall, gently blowing on the sock puppet that was firmly attached to her hand. The final googly eye was staying in place. She shook it so the black pellet bounced around, then dumped a shit ton of glitter on top. She smiled. It was perfect. She scooped up the other sock puppet, firmly setting it onto her other hand, then went to go find her brother. He was in the living room. She hadn't expected to bump into him quite so literally.

"Oh, Dipperdoodle! Just the person I wanted to see!" He turned around, eyes positively glued in horror to the puppets.

"Mabel, I thought that you were done with puppets." She held up the sparkly one that looked like Pacifica in response.

"Mabel, why did you-" She shushed him by placing the Dipper puppet over his mouth. If it had been her bare hand, he would have licked it, but she was protected by wool, glue, and glitter.

"Well, Dipper, you and Pacifica have been getting awfully clooooooooose lately." She moved the Dipper puppet closer to the Pacifica one, then mashed their mouths together.

"Uh." Dipper looked confused, then like he wanted to run in the opposite direction. Mabel wiggled her eyebrows.

"And I think it's time that we, as siblings, had the talk." He glanced at the window, the only other means of escape from his sister.

"I don't want to talk about this right now, Mabel…" He was starting to sweat.

"Dipperdoodle, if we don't have this talk then how are you going to propose to Pacifica? You have to do something romantic." She flailed the Pacifica puppet, spraying glitter and bits of yarn everywhere. Her brother coughed a little.

"Mabel, seriously, we aren't old enough for that. Besides, we just got over an argument, I think asking me about this right now is in poor taste." Mabel put her fists on her hips, her right side erupting in a cloud of sparkles.

"You've survived your first argument with her, Dipper. That has to mean something! Besides, Pacifica is a great girl. I'm sure she would love to marry you." Dipper glanced at the window again, his adam's apple bobbing as he nervously swallowed. His left hand twitched a little, and he stilled it by stuffing it into his jacket pocket.

"I'm not having this conversation right now."

"Yes you are, Dipper. Come on, I want what's best for you. And she did nearly die in order to save you from a violent labyrinthian gargoyle." He threw his hands in the air, then reached for the window. Mabel threw a puppet at him, covering the back of his jacket in glitter.

"You can run from me for now, Dipperdoodle, BUT I KNOW WHERE YOU LIVE!" He jumped out the first floor window, disappearing into the woods. Mabel sighed, then scooped up her puppets and went back to her room. She had high hopes for Dipper and Pacifica's relationship. They sort of balanced each other out. She scooped her knitting needles off of the carpet and set about finishing another sweater.

* * *

Dipper wiped his hands on his jeans, the wetness from his palms leaving sweaty handprints on the denim. He altered his course so that he could walk to town. He had his phone in his pocket, and a lunch date with Pacifica. He didn't like to bother her at work, but it was their month anniversary and he was a little excited about it. He figured a little pizza lunch would be a good way to celebrate.

Mabel's suggestion that they talk about him getting married made his stomach do barrel rolls, though. He couldn't even use the L word with his girlfriend, let alone buy a ring and get some vows made up. His heart got faint just thinking about it. There was no way he could do something like that, especially when they were both so young! And Pacifica was worried enough about going to college without Dipper getting all romantic and stupid.

He got to the library where Pacifica worked at, then sent her a text message to let her know he was there. After a few minutes, she stepped out into the sun, hair glinting like spun gold in the sunshine. He stared for a few moments, a dopey grin plastered across his face. She was so smart and kind, and the light of the sun just amplified those qualities to angelic levels.

Her heavy lashes lifted, revealing sky blue eyes. He caught her gaze with his own, and waved a little. She smiled, then outright started laughing as she came over. He went to hug her but she took a step back, cheerful peals of laughter making her cheeks glow rosily.

"Dipper, you're literally covered in glitter!" He blinked, then looked at his sparkling jacket. He quietly cursed Mabel's fondness for the stuff.

"Mabel cornered me earlier." Pacifica laughed a little more, gently trying to brush the shiny particles from his shoulders. He appreciated the effort, but knew it was futile.

"It's okay, I'll just take it off." His girlfriend chuckled a little more, then gave him a friendly smile as he folded the fabric over one of his arms and offered his free elbow for her to take. She graciously accepted, and they started walking down the street towards the pizza place. He tried to think of some sort of topic to bring up, but everything felt wrong. Asking about work was too normal. Trash talking his sister wouldn't win him any brownie points because Pacifica and Mabel were friends (not that he would trash talk his sister, the thought just floated through his brain before he could stop it). He didn't want to stress her out by asking about the college thing or about her parents. Pacifica tugged on his arm, diverting his thought process.

"What?"

"You look super worried, did something happen?" He got a little lost in her eyes.

"Mabel thinks we should get married." Pacifica made a confused face. Then her brows shifted a little and the face went from confused to curious. Her cheeks got a little more pink. He wasn't sure what to do with that visual information.

"Mabel's a little ahead of herself on that point, I think." Dipper chuckled a little at that, shuffling his jacket around on his arm. It had been what he was thinking, and it was nice to know that Pacifica felt the same way.

"I agree, I mean, we've only been dating for, like, a month." Pacifica nodded, then they fell silent again. The pizza place showed up shortly after that, which was good, because he still couldn't think of a good topic. The gargoyle was so not an option. Nor was the idea that he wanted to return to that labyrinth and explore a little more. Those were not good topics of conversation.

They ordered a small pizza, then sat down in a booth with their sodas. Well, Dipper had gotten a soda. Pacifica had picked out a bottle of unsweetened tea. She picked through the sugar packet bowl, extracting a single pouch of sugar and dumping it into the bottle. She shook it a bit, then watched the particles float around.

The pizza took a while to come out, and they laughed at how stringy the cheese was. As they were eating, Pacifica started chatting about her volunteer work. She liked reading to the kids during story hour, but there were always some teens in the back who made fun of her at every turn. Dipper had just begun to frown at that when she moved on to speaking about her boss, who was a nice little old lady. She praised her for a few minutes before switching topics again. Dipper gave up on trying to talk and just listened instead. Sometimes if she was nervous, Pacifica just like to chat. He knew that much, and could understand the feeling. He smiled and frowned and nodded when she paused to breathe, and before long they had finished the food and their drinks.

They were on their way out the door when her phone rang. Dipper waited patiently for her to check the number, and knew from her falling face that it was one of her parents. She looked up at him and he nodded towards the phone. She gave him a quick, sad smile, then answered.

"Hi, mom. Yes, I am at the library right now. I told you last night that I wouldn't be attending the party. No, you weren't doing anything besides talking to me at the time." She curled an arm protectively over her midsection, trying to appear smaller than she really was. Dipper took a step closer, then reached out and touched her fingers. She latched onto his hand, and he let his thumb rub on hers as they slowly walked to the library.

"Mom, I'm not going. It's Saturday Read Along and I promised I would do that before I found out that was the date of the party. I'm not cancelling just because you think I need to be with more polite society." The brunette kept his eyes forward, navigating the sidewalk for the both of them. Pacifica didn't seem to see anything besides her own feet. If he was honest with himself, he would be doing the same thing in her situation. Her parents were, for lack of a better term, horrible people.

"No, I'm standing by what I said. I'm attending Saturday Read Along and you can't stop me." She stopped walking too suddenly. He dropped her hand, a few steps out of reach. He backtracked, worry flooding his system. Her eyes were blankly staring at her shoes.

"Fine. I'll find another way to get there." She hung up the phone, clearly still shellshocked. Dipper patted her arm reassuringly, then let himself get tugged in for a hug. He rubbed gentle circles into his girlfriend's back and shoulders, trying to ease the tension that lurked behind the cozy sweater she wore. He couldn't tell if he was helping or not.

"Pacifica?" She made a sad noise into his shirt. He kissed the top of her head.

"I don't know what she said, but I'd be happy to help you." She shook her head. He pulled away enough that he could cup her face in his hands and guide her gaze to his face. She was crying a little, doing her best to hold back the tears. He kissed her nose, then both of her cheeks. She hiccuped.

"They're terminating my credit card even though they know I was only using it for gas." Dipper frowned.

"We'll figure something out. Look at me." Her watery gaze lifted a little. He kissed her on the mouth, trying to reassure her again. Her hands held onto his shirt for all they were worth.

"You don't have to do this alone. What time is the Read Along?" She sniffled a little, then wiped her nose with her sleeve. He had never returned her hankie, despite leaving a few notes around his dresser about it. Now he felt bad.

"Ten in the morning this Saturday." He pressed his forehead against hers, ignoring how his lanky torso protested the motion.

"I'll make sure you have a ride there. Trust me, okay?" She nodded, a smile trying to replace the sad expression she wore. The rest of the walk back to the library was spent by trying to clean up her face a little, which mostly worked but also mostly just covered her in glitter. He waved and smiled a little as she walked into the building, and then he stood at the curb wondering how the fuck he was going to get her from the Northwest mansion all the way to the library and back.


	6. Chapter 6

"No, Dipper, you can't borrow or steal my car on Saturday for any reason." Grunkle Stan flipped the tab on a can of cheap soda, the fizzing noise making Dipper flinch a little.

"Come on, Grunkle Stan, just this once?" The brunette's great uncle drank a bit of soda, then sighed a little.

"Dipper, I'm going to this weird small store owner convention. There's gonna be lots of free stuff and lots of shitty merchandise. I have to go, and I'm taking my car with me. It starts Thursday night and goes until Sunday. The car will not be here for you to borrow, end of discussion." Dipper threw his hands towards the ceiling and turned on his heel to walk out of the room.

"The golf cart is free, though." Dipper made a strangled noise and left. The golf cart wouldn't go fast enough.

Or could it? It was only Monday. He could totally figure out a way to make it go faster by Saturday. Yeah.

By Tuesday, he had found a few magical items that might speed the golf cart up a little. Some special gravel that he could mix in with the fuel had wound up being a total bust simply because it had launched the cart into the air at a nearly 90 degree angle before making it sprout mushrooms from the backseat. That had taken hours to clean up, and he made a few notes in the journal so that anyone who found it would be prepared for the worst. The second item was some alien technology, but instead of speeding the cart up all it did was make the thing hover a few inches off the ground. Mabel had wanted that one, so he handed it off without question and moved on to the next thing.

It was an item called Mercury's Bane, a metal that, when zapped with electricity, would cause any non stationary object within a five foot radius to pick up speed. He didn't have any, since it could only be found in the lair of a gargoyle. Dipper sighed. He was going to have to go back to that blasted cave again. Pacifica's reminder to bring water and his cell phone rang through his head, and he stood up from the cart to go pack a bag of stuff.

A bag of Little Bites, a ham and cheese sandwich, two bottles of water, and a can of soup later, Dipper felt like he was ready to go. His phone was in his pocket, he had a thousand foot long roll of twine at the bottom of his bag, a real camera because reasons, and also extra socks. Just in case. He opened the door to his room only to run straight into his sister.

"Oof, Dipperdoodle, what is your hurry?" He caught her before she hit her head on anything, then straightened her up in time to catch her hiding a roll of tape behind her back.

"Mabel, what were you doing?" She huffed a little, "No apologies for knocking me over either, I'm going to have to teach you some- Hey, let that go, give it back!" He had taken the tape, and also a bag of glitter because she had been holding them in the same hand. His stomach sank as he fought to keep his sister's hands away from what he had stolen. She'd had tape and glitter and was standing so close to his door that he had- his face blanched. Mabel kept sassing him as he turned around to see the outside of his door.

Posters and magazine clippings covered the whole thing. Most of them pertaining to dating and proposing and- oh god she had pasted Pacifica's face over top of some wedding dress models. And there was glitter and oh god it was such a mess.

"Mabel, what the fuck?" Horror couldn't even begin to describe how he felt. Nausea was definitely a part of it. Some portion of him wanted to laugh.

"You've been avoiding me ever since you jumped out the window! I had to get back at you for it." He handed her the tape and the glitter, then quickly removed the collage from his door. Mabel complained the whole time.

"I don't want to hear it, sister dearest." He couldn't keep the sarcasm out of his voice, "How would you feel if I put Gideon's ugly mug all over your door?" The taller twin screeched indignantly.

"Dipper, that is beyond not the same thing! Gideon's been in prison for years, plus there's the teensy tiny itty bitty little fact that I'm not freaking dating him! That wouldn't even be funny, bro." He gave her a blank stare before throwing the glittery tape-filled mess inside and closing the door.

"I've got a rare metal to find in some sort of cave system, so please do me a favor and drop this particular line of pranking before I get back, okay?" Mabel opened her mouth like she was about to crack a joke, then her face took on a more somber note and she cleared her throat instead.

"You aren't going back into that labyrinth where you nearly died, are you?" He stuttered a little, eyes looking first at the floor then to the ceiling before landing on his sister again.

"No?" Mabel looked like she was going to kill him.

"You big fat liar." He sighed, head drooping momentarily in exhaustion.

"Mabel, look, I'm doing this for Pacifica, okay? She needs a ride on Saturday to this important thing she's looking forward to and all I have is a golf cart that can barely break eleven miles an hour. On a good day. I just need this magic metal that can only be found in gargoyle lairs and then I can drive her to the thing and I'll never have to go in there ever again, okay?" Mabel chewed on the ends of her hair for a few seconds.

"You can only go if I go, too." He wasn't sure why he hadn't seen that coming, but he couldn't waste too much more time arguing so he just agreed. Mabel packed her own backpack, bringing more food than he thought was really necessary.

"Time is weird in there, Dip-stick." He grimaced at the nickname and stopped badgering her about what she was packing. When she put one of her least favorite stuffed animals into the pack he really had to fight to keep his mouth shut. What could she possibly need that for?

"Okay, I'm ready to go!" Her sweater had a hood, which she had pulled over her head enough to show off the little bear ears that she had sewn on top. Dipper had to admit that his sister was adorable. He grinned at her.

"All right, we really have to go now. I don't have time to waste with this project." He led her out to the woods, down a few hills and up a few trees before coming to rest in front of the tree where the gargoyle usually sat. Dipper pressed a hand to the bark, trying to figure out how to get into the labyrinth without the gargoyle letting them in. A familiar rocky screech met his ears, and his head shot upwards in time to see the stone creature careening towards them. Mabel squeaked and hid behind one of his arms as the creature went through the forest floor, exposing the entrance to the cave system. He looked at Mabel, who had already pulled out a skein of yarn and was tying it around the trunk of the tree. Dipper was going to just jump right in, but Mabel pulled out her grappling gun and gently lowered them down using that. Which was probably the smarter way to go, but Dipper wasn't going to say anything. Mostly because the spell of silence had taken over at that point and he literally couldn't.

They meandered around the cave, looking high and low for the fabled Mercury's Bane. The picture in his journal wasn't in color, but it was said to be purple or pink or some combination of the two. And it was shiny.

The sound of dripping was making it really hard for him to focus on finding this thing. He glanced over at his sister, who was already nibbling on some of the crackers she had brought. He went back to looking for the magic metal in between the obnoxious dripping noises. After a while, one end of the tunnel they were in looked infinitely brighter than where they were. The two teens looked at each other, then set off down the path. The crystal room looked exactly the same as when Dipper had found it the first time, complete with the puddle at the foot of the throne thing on the raised platform. He cracked open a water bottle and took a sip so he wouldn't be tempted a second time. A gravelly voice echoed around the cave.

"Why have you returned, young ones?" The shorter twin was very tempted to answer with something along the lines of "fight me, Helen!" but very quickly decided against it. He wasn't sure how familiar gargoyles were with sarcasm, and that was definitely not a fight the lanky boy was going to win. Mabel cleared her throat.

"We've come in search of the Mercury's Bane! Dipper needs it for a golf cart." He nodded as the beast slowly descended into the room.

"A golf cart?" Oh great, they had confused it only two sentences in. This was going to be fun.

"A human-made contraption to help people travel from one point or another in a leisurely fashion," he added to the conversation. He wasn't sure if that was going to clear things up or further muddy the waters. Hopefully it helped. The gargoyle tipped its head inquisitively.

"If the ride is to be leisurely, then why do you need this metal?" The voice became less and less echoey the longer they talked. Dipper rested his face into one of his palms. This was going to be weird.

"I need to get somewhere quickly, but all I have is a golf cart." The gargoyle looked around the pink room, making Dipper feel like maybe the crystal structure was really the metal they were looking for.

"I suppose a trade can be made." Dipper flicked his eyes over to see Mabel's reaction, which was about as unhappy as he had ever seen her. He went back to looking at the monster, "What would you be willing to trade this metal for?" The gargoyle tipped its head towards the nonexistent ceiling.

"A human life." Mabel dropped her end of the yarn.

"Nope, nope, nope. No. Dipper we're leaving. Goodbye mister scary gargoyle monster, but we can't possibly accept that trade, that is illegal. Come on, Dipper." She grabbed his arm, trying to drag him from the crystal room. He slipped out of the jacket that she'd been holding on to and stepped a little closer to the rock-like being.

"I only need, like, a sliver of this metal. Surely we can haggle a little on that price?" Nerves fluttered through his stomach like butterflies and his palms were getting sweaty. But this was the only other option and he wasn't about to give up.

"A leg and an arm, then." Mabel made a distressed noise and he shook his head.

"I don't know how big of a sliver you're thinking, but that is way too much." The gargoyle huffed, almost sounding annoyed at the request.

"Two vials of blood, then." The voice echoed around like that was the last straw. Dipper's eyebrows shot up, then he frowned and lowered them again.

"How big are the vials?" Two glass tubes clinked as they rolled in front of him, bouncing off of his shoes. He scooped them up and inspected them. They were the length of his ring finger, and about as wide around. They didn't look too different from the vials at the doctor's office when the twins had to get their blood work done. He glanced at Mabel who was standing by the entrance with her arms folded over her chest. He held up the tubes for her to see, and she reluctantly nodded her go-ahead at him.

"Two vials of blood, then." He held the tubes aloft. A knife skittered across the floor, blackened blade and grubby handle making him think that maybe he should have brought his own knife. Well, there were only two vials, and he didn't want his sister getting any sort of weird infection, so he picked up the blade and cut a non-lethal area of his hand. The draining took way longer than he had thought it would take. Mabel even offered to help out, but he told her not to worry. By the time he had filled the second vial, he was starting to see spots. Mabel made him drink some water and eat a snack before they gave the gargoyle the blood.

"The trade has been made." Dipper looked at his sister. Mabel looked more frazzled than he was. She scooped up the end of the yarn, and he took her free hand in his. The gargoyle held out a single clawed paw, a small sliver of pink crystal glittering in his grasp. Dipper reached out, delicately cradling the Mercury's Bane between his fingers.

He and Mabel followed the yarn to the exit, and blinked once they reached the bright sunlight.

"How long were we in there?" Mabel fumbled around for her phone.

"Like, five minutes."

"You were right, time is weird in there."


	7. Chapter 7

On Wednesday, Dipper made a test vehicle out of a remote controlled car he found in the attic and half the sliver of metal. He set up his camera to record the test, as well as one of those black and white rulers that were on Mythbusters to help measure speed. He wasn't sure if that was going to help or not, but it was worth a shot. He started recording, then stepped in front of the camera.

"Okay, uh, I'm Dipper Pines and I'm performing an experiment on the mysterious metal called Mercury's Bane. In theory, it causes moving objects to exponentially pick up speed." He shuffled a little, then cleared his throat.

"Test one." He stepped out of the camera frame, then scooped up the remote. He took a deep breath, palm growing sweaty on the blue plastic. He pressed the forward button, and the car sprung to live, speeding over the wooden floor. He blinked and it was crashing into the far wall. He dropped the remote and ran over to the smoking mess of a toy car.

A few hours later, he had salvaged the car and the Mercury's Bane and started over. This had to be the solution. He wasn't about to crawl the whole way to Pacifica's house. He screwed the battery pack back into place, and set the car down at the beginning of the test track. The brunette stepped back in front of the camera, wiping his sweaty hands over his jeans.

"Test two." He moved behind the camera, eyes glued to the car as he eased his finger over the 'gas' button. The car smoothly rolled along, until he blinked and it crashed into the fucking wall again. He dropped the controller and trotted over to the mess. Maybe it wouldn't be as drastic on a larger vehicle. He took the metal out of the well made toy and turned his camera off. Dipper went in search of his helmet.

A half hour of Mabel making him pillow and duct tape armor later, Dipper was on his bicycle with a flashlight generator hooked up to the pedals and the mystery metal stuffed inside the battery area of the light. Mabel held the camera aloft and shot him a thumbs up. He filled his lungs with air.

"Test three!" And with that he started pedaling down the driveway. The breeze picked up, brushing his face gently and whipping his hair around. Not that he had Mabel's luxurious locks, but it was really starting to get too long and he should have gotten a haircut ages ago. The wind grew harsh, pelting his face rather than gently caressing it. The flashlight hummed with power. He kept pedaling, wondering how fast he was going. Trees blurred together in one solid block of greenish brown. The brunette felt that if he hit a pothole it would kill him instead of giving him a scraped knee. He prayed that he would avoid any and all such divots. The slightly bumpy ride suddenly got smooth, and Dipper realized that he had hit the road. And gone right over the road and into the woods beyond. Trees flashed before him and he tried to break, panic rising in his throat. If he hit one at this speed, he wouldn't even be able to fit in a soup can. The only thing he could hear was his heart beating.

The bike slowed slightly, then hit a ditch, the front wheel embedding itself into the muddy bank and throwing his torso over the handlebars. He hit the grass and rolled a few feet, coming to a stop with his chin scraped and bruised. He stayed still, taking inventory of how many injuries he had. Dizzy, check. Nauseous, also check. Could he feel and move his legs? He wiggled his toes carefully and also flexed his fingers. Checkity checkaroo. He gingerly sat up, face ten kinds of sore. He heard Mabel screaming in the distance. After a brief battle with the pillow armor, he sent her a text to assure her that he was fine. She sent back ten crying emojis. All in separate messages. He sighed.

The bike was salvageable, but it was also hard to wrench out of the ditch. He wrestled with it until it came loose, then dragged the damaged mud-cycle back across the road to clean it up and try again. The walk back took eons compared to the short bike ride out. He got halfway up the drive when his sister came running at him, camera bouncing on the cord around her neck. She jumped on him with such force that she knocked him flat on his ass. He muttered a few curses and cringed as she shouted about cars and how he just shot off into space like a rocket. He was a little excited by that. The plan might work!

The second bike test went well. He was able to control the speed a little better by alternating between coasting and pedaling. When he was able to keep the pace steady at thirty miles per hour, he figured it was time to try it on the golf cart.

Mabel insisted on joining him for the test run of the golf cart that Thursday. Grunkle Stan only told them to not die until he got back. The twins drove the cart to a nice flat expanse of grass that was nowhere near any obstacles or traffic. Dipper had rigged the dashboard so that at the flick of a switch the metal would start being electrocuted. All he had to do to turn it off was hit the switch again. Mabel insisted that he wear the pillow armor once more, which he reluctantly donned so that she wouldn't worry too much. She sat with the camera a few hundred yards away, cell phone in her hand to call 911 if anything bad happened. He stared up at her from his seat in the cart. She flashed a thumbs up. He grinned.

"Test Number Five!" He flicked the switch, then eased his foot onto the gas pedal. The cart creaked to life, protesting from misuse. The brunette watched the speedometer hit eleven miles an hour, then jump up to twenty two. The number climbed, and he delicately lifted his foot off the pedal until he felt more comfortable with the speed. Practicing the press and release method, he navigated the golf cart from one end of the field to the other, then back again. He tried swerving and turning. The brunette even convinced his sister to let him take the cart into the woods and drive it around there. After a few hours, and lunch, Dipper was able to ditch the pillow armor and test drive the cart all the way back to the Mystery Shack. Mabel said the trip was a little jerky, but overall not the worst car ride she had ever been forced to sit through.

If he could make it to town and back, then he could make it to Pacifica's and the library. He had been driving for eight hours straight, though, so his visit to town via magicked golf cart had to wait until Friday.

Dipper sat in the golf cart early Friday morning, cold fingers hidden in his jacket sleeves. Mabel was standing on the porch making a fuss.

"Remember to not die." Dipper nodded in response.

"Text me when you get to town." Again, he nodded at her words.

"Dipper?"

"Yeah, Mabel?"

"Your fly is unzipped." He swore, glancing down to see that she was, in fact, telling the truth. He fixed his zipper and met his sister's eyes once more.

"I love you, Dipperdoodle." Her sad smile made his heart hurt.

"I'm not dying, jeeze. Love you, too, Mabel." And with that, their final goodbyes for the day were taken care of. If he was honest, he was lucky that Mabel even agreed to watch the Mystery Shack for the day. It was supposed to be his turn to keep an eye on the gift shop. He carefully pumped the gas pedal, his brisk pace bringing him to the road. He looked both ways, ears pricked for any car noises. He heard nothing. He switched the electricity off from the metal. Birds chirped and cicadas sounded. No cars. He flipped the electricity back on, effectively cutting off all outside noise. A chill ran down his spine. He would have to keep that effect in mind. The teen pulled onto the highway, cart accelerating until he reached the speed limit.

Dipper trundled happily down the highway, carefully taking the town exit and driving down main street like he wasn't sitting in a metal and plastic death trap. He parked in front of the grocery store to pick up some essentials like root beer and green beans. He realized once inside the small shop that he hadn't texted Mabel, so he shot her a quick message and smiled when she sent back a few happy emojis and a picture of how dead the gift shop was. He popped into the nearby bookstore to get a present for Pacifica. It was just a normal day of the week, but she liked to read fantasy and adventure, and he liked to surprise her every now and again. Some cute songs on the radio reminded the brunette that he ought to make his girlfriend another mixtape for the next upcoming holiday. Thank God Summerween had already happened.

He purchased a book about two aliens who were teleported into a Narnia-like land. That seemed like an interesting enough premise. He hoped that even if it was shitty that Pacifica would like it. Warmth spread over his cheeks as he returned to the golf cart. He was blushing just for thinking about how happy she would be. He was a huge dork.

The ignition caught, and shortly after that he was on his way back home. He hardly had to think about handling the gas pedal, and his mind wandered as he carefully navigated the sparse traffic. As much as his idea was working, was it really that smart for him to have traded blood for this metal? He couldn't driveway was just as bumpy as Dipper remembered, and he parked the cart around the side of the Shack. The teen took a deep breath. The vehicle was ready for Saturday.


	8. Chapter 8

Dipper barely slept between the time he got back from grocery shopping and leaving for Pacifica's the next morning. He gave up on resting at six in the morning, and made himself some breakfast. Unfortunately, Mabel was the twin that excelled at breakfast foods, so he mostly just buttered some toast and sipped at a mug of coffee he had found in the fridge. He was nearly certain that it had been the same cup of joe he'd had the previous morning, but the sugary sludge that slipped past his lips on the last sip told him it was actually his sister's. He brushed his teeth lest they rot and fall out.

Mabel sent him off with the same goodbye as she had the previous day. Sans the zipper fiasco, plus an added bonus of her complaining that eight in the morning was too early for a Saturday. Dipper gave her a hug, shouldered his backpack, and hopped into the golf cart. He wasn't sure what Pacifica was going to be doing all day, but he brought some food in case. And his cellphone, which was essentially glued to his pocket all day every day now. He drove carefully, following the speed limit and using his turn signals. It would suck if he got pulled over by a police officer. He didn't think he had time for that. Even being as careful as he was, he still got to Pacifica's house a lot earlier than he had thought. He was supposed to be there at nine and he was there at eight thirty. He set an alarm on his phone so that five minutes before the time he was supposed to arrive he would be jostled out of his reading material. It seemed like a solid plan. He glanced at the imposing gates to the Northwest mansion.

He couldn't believe that anybody would want to live in such a glorified prison. The social niceties would get on his nerves, too. If there was one thing Dipper prided himself on, it was being as honest as possible. The higher class world just seemed so two-faced and superficial. He stared down at the journal, and got to reading. Pacifica didn't care for the world she lived in either, so there was really no point in him harping on it.

He was so engrossed in the lore about a cursed board game that he forgot he had set an alarm. The shrill beeping totally caught him off guard, and he was embarrassed that his instinctive reaction was to jump up so fast that he hit his head on the ceiling portion of the golf cart. Through watering eyes, he turned the alarm off and blearily sent Pacifica a cheerful 'I'm here!' text. She didn't respond. He shrugged. This was a big day for her, she was probably busy with something. The brunette waited a few minutes, tapping his fingers on the dashboard and thinking about the event at the library.

When ten minutes had gone by and he still hadn't gotten an answer to the next two texts that he sent in addition to the first one, he started to get worried. Had she been kidnapped by werewolves? Gnomes? Those gnomes were still out to get him and Mabel, he wouldn't be surprised if they went after his girlfriend. What if that gargoyle had something to do with it? Would it be weird if he called her? It had only been ten minutes after all. He stopped drumming his fingers relentlessly against the dash and mentally told his brain to calm down. There was no point in getting all sweaty and freaked out over this. It was early in the morning, Pacifica probably slept through her alarm or something. If that was the case, maybe a phone call would wake her up? Dipper scooped up his cell phone and dialed her number, putting on a bright smile as the device rang shrill tones into his ear.

* * *

Deep inside the bowels of the Northwest mansion, Pacifica heard the ringtone she had set for when Dipper called. She sat up, pale golden hair an absolute bird's nest of bedhead. She tugged her phone towards the bed, ignoring as some things fell off of the nightstand because of the power cord. She hit the green dot on the screen and lazily brought the black rectangle to her ear.

"Dipper?" She was making a face, but the dark room hid it from the outside world. Surely it was too early for anyone to be calling. He responded in a more chipper fashion than she was expecting.

"Hi, Pacifica! You told me to be here to pick you up at nine for the Read Along at the library, so I'm sitting outside your gate. You ready to go?" Her blue eyes flew open as she jumped out of bed, tripped over a laundry basket and a pile of discarded stuffed animals that she loved too much to stuff in the closet, and threw the curtains open. It was bright as fuck out there, and she could see a car on the other side of the gate. No, it was too small to be a car. Either way, Dipper was there, and she was beyond not ready. She looked down at her oversized T-shirt, the only thing she wore to bed.

"Uh. Give me, uh, maybe, five minutes?" Dipper sounded way too cheerful as he hung up the phone. She was going to be so late! The teenager stripped and hopped into the shower with a comb, using the wetness and the conditioner to detangle it as best as she could. Finally her hair was tamed. She towelled off the worst of the drips and threw on the first dress that her hands touched, barely even seeing the peachy thing before it was tugged over her head. She wound her wet hair into some semblance of a bun and clipped it into place at the nape of her neck. She stuffed her feet into socks and then laced her shoes on as quickly as possible. The blonde ignored the kitchen in favor of stuffing ChapStick and hand lotion into her sweater pockets then sprinted out the door.

When she got to the gate, it was slightly ajar. Just as she had requested of the gatekeeper the previous night. Her phone rang in her pocket as she looked at the vehicle Dipper had brought. The sad golf cart looked like it had seen better days. There were grass stains and mud splashes everywhere. She heard a faint creaking as the breeze picked up, and the well oiled gate behind her would never make such an obscene noise. Her sky blue eyes hooked onto Dipper's hazel gaze as the boy gestured for her to sit down. She trotted over, still slightly out of breath and confused.

"Are you sure we're going to get there on time?" She carefully sat on the vinyl seat, ignoring the strange lumps in the padding.

"I am positive that we will get there at ten on the dot." She looked for a seatbelt, and in failing to do so, looked at Dipper again. He was casually sprawled on his half of the cart, as comfortable as if it were a stationary couch instead of a creaking deathtrap. She discreetly grabbed onto the edge of the seat, a futile attempt at becoming one with the vehicle. Her boyfriend turned the keys in the ignition. The cart sputtered to life and slowly creaked out of her driveway and onto the sleepy highway. The sky, which had been partly sunny earlier, began to turn a deep grey. Pacifica watched as the brunette beside her pressed a switch on the dashboard, and all other noise cut out. It was exactly like being in the gargoyle's labyrinth. She tried to focus on literally anything else.

Pacifica's phone started ringing again, and she sighed in relief for the distraction from the rolling ride. The call was from her mother. Her stomach became a pit of stalactites and stalagmites. She felt her face go stony, and quickly turned away from Dipper. She would hate herself if she turned his happy mood sour. She watched the phone carefully as the call went to voicemail. Once the message was over and the screen went dark, the cold teenager dialed her inbox and listened to her mother's fake voice.

"Listen, Pacifica honey, I know you're a late sleeper, but if you were really going to go to that thing with the commoners you would be awake right now. Look, there's still time for you to make this party. Just call me back and I'll arrange for a driver to whisk you away. Make the right choice, dear." After a strange kissy noise, the voicemail was over and the robotic voice on the other end was telling her to press six to repeat the message, to press seven to delete the message, and to press eight to save it for later. She stared numbly at the passing scenery as the voice repeated the options she had. Go to the party. Don't go to the party. Go to the party. She didn't want to go to the stupid party. Pacifica felt her heart pick up speed as she pulled the phone away from her ear and firmly stabbed the number seven.

"Pacifica?" Dipper's voice was quiet, concern etched in his cheeks and eyebrows. The blonde patted his shoulder gently, "I'm fine, babe." He didn't seem too convinced of that, but she didn't want to continue the conversation and he was focused on driving. After another few moments, the first fat drops of rain began to fall from the sky. Dipper pulled off the highway and into town. He found a parking garage and stowed the cart a few blocks away from the library. Pacifica hopped out of the vehicle, feeling like the world was moving too slowly. Her boyfriend gently took her hand and led her towards the exit. The warmth of his palm was soothing, calming her more effectively than any of her previous methods. She stared at their intertwined fingers, slowly letting the rocky cliff in her stomach erode away. Dipper gave her a small smile and a kiss, then tugged her into the light drizzle and wind of the outside world. The blonde smiled back, quickly matching his lanky pace. His support meant more than any of her family's constant betrayals.


	9. Chapter 9

Pacifica started reading at ten on the dot, didn't take a break until three in the afternoon to shove some juice and a packet of oreos into her face, then went back to reading until the event was over at nine in the evening. She was absolutely exhausted. The children had all seemed enthralled with the stories. Actually, now that she was leaning back on two chair legs while deep in thought, the parental units had all seemed pretty enthralled, too. She tried to remember some of the titles they had gone through. _Hop on Pop_ was a favorite. _The Kweeks of Kookatumdee_ by Bill Pete had been a long lost favorite of her childhood that magically appeared in her hands over the course of the day. Some overly zealous nine year olds insisted on the first few chapters of Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone. Her face and throat were so tired now that the day was over. She hadn't even been the only volunteer to read things, and she was that tired. The blonde let the front chair legs hit the floor as gently as possible. A familiar voice spoke from the other side of the room.

"Good, I was about to tell you to stop being an acrobat. You want some ravioli?" She looked over to where Dipper's voice was coming from, almost too tired to respond, "Sign me the fuck up."

"Pacifica, you're in the children's section!" He placed a thin hand over his heart and made a fake shocked expression. She stayed seated as her boyfriend sidled over, warm bowl of ravioli in one hand and a plastic spoon in the other. When he was in arm's reach, the blonde made grabby hands at the bowl.

"Use your words, Pacifica." She pouted.

"Gimme."

"Oh my god."

"Gimme, now."

"You're worse than Grunkle Stan!" He held the bowl away from her hands, leaning even further away as she stood. It wasn't fair that he was almost a full foot taller than her. She giggled and kept reaching for the food while being careful not to tip it out of the bowl.

"Gimmmeeeeeeee!" He continued to keep the ravioli out of her grasp, despite her insistent noises.

"There are a few words you should use in this sort of situation, and none of them are variations of 'gimme!'" She outright laughed at that. Then she fluttered her eyelashes at him and giggled even more as he blushed.

"Dipper, come on! I've been reading all day!" He had trouble starting his next sentence. She winked at him and his blush crawled up to his ears. Pacifica could feel her own blush rise into her cheeks. She kissed the brunette on the chin, which was all she could reach when he wasn't hunching over.

""Pacifica!" He lowered the bowl, a stern look gracing his pink features. She kissed his chin again. He stammered a bit more as she took the food and sat back down. He gave her a stern look.

"Missy." She laughed at his tone and ate a bit of pasta.

"Please and thank you." Dipper sighed, running a hand through his hair. She let her smile soften as her blue eyes tracked the nervous gesture. He also had a habit of hiding his hands in his pockets. It was adorable. She had been so focused on watching him move that she missed what he said. The teen only knew that her boyfriend had said anything because he was staring expectantly. She pulled the plastic spoon out of her mouth, "I'm sorry, what?"

Dipper sat on the floor in front of Pacifica's chair, resting his chin on her knee. She squeaked a little and blushed even more at the contact. He smirked, a little half smile that she knew meant he was teasing her. She was tempted to remove her leg from his skin, but she was paralyzed by the giddy feeling in her stomach.

"I said if you share the ravioli with me that I would share the cookies I brought." She stared at him, eyes widening and sparkling in the light.

"Did Mabel make them?" He smiled in response, "Yeah." Her mouth started watering.

"I would share a thousand tiny raviolis with you if it meant I could eat Mabel's cookies." Dipper laughed, his voice cracking with the volume. One of the other librarians appeared from around the corner to shush them, then made a face when she saw the bowl of food.

"Pacifica, eat that in the office! We have to clean up now. Also, is this your boyfriend? He's so handsome~" She winked, making the blonde internally screech indignantly. Dipper just flashed a charming smile as his cheeks reddened. She nudged him off of her knee, then dragged her boyfriend and their food into the office. The space was empty save for a small table, some sad looking chairs, and a dingy little microwave. She plopped into a chair and pushed the one across from her out so that Dipper had a place to sit. When he had gotten settled, she held out the spoon. A single ravioli floated in the lurid tomato sauce. He leaned forward, and her eyes glued themselves to his lips as took the morsel from the spoon. The blonde was so tempted to just feed him the rest of the pasta, but she was also hungry. Ignoring the fact that they were officially sharing germs, she ate another bite as Dipper chewed.

By the time they had finished eating both the ravioli and the cookies, it was well past ten at night. She had a serious case of the yawns. Dipper kept telling her that they were contagious, which made her chuckle and yawn some more. She slid into the golf cart, momentarily forgetting that he had magicked it. He climbed into the driver's seat, cursing quietly when he bumped his head on the ceiling. Pacifica smiled as he turned the key in the ignition.

* * *

Dipper never flicked the switch to speed up the drive. He was too tired, plus his girlfriend had fallen asleep and would have fallen out of the vehicle had he gone at that speed. So, they slowly puttered along the highway, ignoring the zippier cars. He liked being able to hear the night sounds. Bats skittered across the sky. Cicadas screamed their gravelly melodies into the night. Pacifica quietly snored like a metronome beside him. He glanced at her, his own eyelids starting to slump. He took a deep breath of cold air to wake up.

It took an hour and a half to drive the golf cart back to the Northwest Mansion, although forty five minutes of that were because he missed the exit that led to the fancy gates. He smiled upon seeing the building. It was too grand for his tastes, but being there meant that Pacifica was safe and her parents weren't able to stop her from doing what she wanted. He parked the golf cart in front of the prison-like gates and turned to his sleeping girlfriend. She looked so angelic with the moonlight illuminating her flaxen hair. He brushed her bangs off of her face. She needed a haircut. His own bangs were too long and it was driving him batty. He couldn't even begin to imagine how annoyed she was at not being able to see.

"Pacifica." She stirred. He knew she was a pretty heavy sleeper, but he had to get home too. He poked her cheek. Her eyes blinked open and she mumbled something unintelligible under her breath. He smiled at her.

"You're home. Hop on out so I can get home." She sat up, eyebrows scrunched low over her lashes. The tired-yet-thinking face. He was familiar with that one.

"What time even is?" He checked his cell phone, ignoring the six texts from Mabel. It blinked midnight at him. He realized that he officially hadn't slept in twenty-four hours. No wonder his bones were so tired.

"Reverse noon." Pacifica made the most adorable confused face he had ever seen.

"I mean midnight." She made a quiet 'oh' sound and nodded. Then she assaulted his face with her hair because she turned her head so fast. He spat a few silky strands out from between his lips.

"You can't fucking drive, look at you!" She gestured to the bags under his eyes. He shrugged, "It's not that bad, Pacifica. I drove all the way here, didn't I?" She made a strangled noise as she clumsily fell out of the vehicle. Dipper flinched because he couldn't catch her from the angle he was at. His girlfriend trotted over to the gate, pressing a button that looked like it was made of pure gold. A screen flared to life above her head.

"Yes, Miss Pacifica?" The butler on the screen sniffed.

"Open the gates for this vehicle. My guest and I need to sleep." The butler rifled through some papers before sniffing again.

"Miss, your parents have not cleared this vehicle for-" Pacifica stomped her foot. Dipper hadn't been expecting that. She must have really been losing her temper.

"My parents are out of town, and I am the rightful heir. This golf cart is literally the least dangerous thing on the premises. Do I need to remind you of what the peacocks did to the pizza delivery guy last month?" Dipper couldn't see her face, but he guessed from her tone of voice and body language that she was glaring into the camera. Dipper stayed in the cart. He kind of wanted to know what happened to the deliveryman, though.

"Very well, Miss Northwest." The disdain that dripped from the butler's voice could have melted steel. Pacifica huffed in response, then hopped haughtily back into the cart and rested her hand on Dipper's knee. The brunette took a few moments to calm his suddenly rapidly beating heart. The gate silently whooshed open, revealing the murderous peacocks and sprawling gardens. The taller teen slowly eased the vehicle through, taking great care to stay away from the flamboyant birds. He parked in the spare garage that Pacifica directed him towards, then rushed out of the cart to help his sleepy girlfriend out before she could fall again. He shuffled back towards the driver's side, but she grabbed his wrist.

"Dipper, when was the last time you slept?" He stared at the ceiling. He shifted his gaze to the floor.

"I see." He didn't offer up an explanation. Saying, "I was excited to drive you to a thing and then wait there for you to be done for eleven hours" seemed a little sketchy.

"Well, you are not driving in that condition, and that is final." She pulled out her cell phone, fingers rapidly going over the keys. Snapping it shut once her message was over, her blue gaze locked onto his hazel one.

"You're sleeping over. I texted Mabel and she agrees, it is beyond not safe for you to drive this late." He opened his mouth to protest, but found Pacifica's mouth stealing his words away. He shut his eyes and leaned into the kiss, aware of how her hands gently travelled up his back and rubbed the knots out of his neck. He almost fell asleep right there.

"It's more comfy inside." He nodded, then blearily followed as she tugged him out of the garage. They walked briskly through the near empty mansion. Pacifica shooed away any servants who rushed forwards to offer assistance. Then they were sneaking up a staircase and taking far too many twists and turns into the bowels of the mansion for Dipper to keep track of where he was. He had only ever seen the party areas, never the personal quarters. Before long, they came to a tall white door with white moulding that made him feel like maybe he should just leave. A poster on the outside marked it as Pacifica's bedroom. Sweat trickled between his shoulder blades.

"Maybe I should leave-"

"Oh please, this room is huge I have two beds in here in case of sleepovers. I trust you, Dipper." He nodded, but all he could think of was her father bursting through the door with a servant who had a gun and then the two of them shouting things while shooting him into a creamy pulp. He swallowed in an attempt to remoisten his parched throat. Trust was all fine and dandy, but he did not trust her parents at all. He stepped into the room after Pacifica, pausing as she turned on the light to reveal a pale blue room with hardwood flooring. One bed had a canopy that stretched from the ceiling to the four posts at each corner of the bed, the gauzy drapery spilling like a waterfall over the sleek floorboards. The other bed was an attractive iron-wrought day bed. The sheets and pillows were freshly pressed and unused. There was a nightstand next to each bed, a closet that he bet was actually the size of a normal bedroom, and a huge pile of stuffed animals that were scattered across the middle of the room. There were a few posters hanging from the walls; boy bands, movie posters, and other miscellaneous genres. A single glow in the dark star was stuck to the ceiling. Pacifica walked into the closet, then came back out as Dipper identified the bathroom door. She had taped a painted picture of a toilet to it. He looked at her as she walked towards him, some pajama pants and a T-shirt hanging over her arm.

The blonde herself wore an oversized T-Shirt and booty shorts, and her long gold hair was braided into little pigtails. He smiled at her. She looked so comfortable. He wished she could be that comfy all the time and not just when she was dressed for bed. She handed the extra clothes to him and leaned in for another kiss. Dipper obliged, cradling her cheek in one of his palms. She slowly pulled away from his face.

"Goodnight, Dipper." She was totally blushing. He was totally blushing. The brunette ran a hand through his mercilessly tangled hair and hid his eyes behind the brim of his hat.

"G'night, Pacifica." He slipped into the bathroom after she flopped onto her bed. The pajama pants were a little short, but they weren't his and he was a weed, so he hadn't been expecting them to fit properly. When he had fully changed, he quietly stepped out of the bathroom and into the bedroom. It was really weird to be in a girl's space, let alone Pacifica's space. She was totally asleep on her bed. He folded his clothes and left them on the nightstand, then draped a blanket over his girlfriend. She was snoring away, twice as quiet as when they had been driving around and just as steady. He could listen to her snores forever. Some weird part of him wanted to record the noise, but he pulled the plug on that intrusive thought immediately. Instead, he reached over and turned off the lamp.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Giving a shout-out to my anonymous reviewers since I can't respond via pm! Thanks for being awesome! Y'all are great, thanks for your support!

In addition, I want to let you all know that the first chapter was supposed to be a one shot, but I was so unfamiliar with FF's layout after three years of being away that I accidentally left it as multi-chapter and basically I've been scraping these things out of my brain every few days because I'm scared to disappoint you guys, lol. Don't worry, though, I'm formulating plans even when I'm not writing and I'm hoping to have a few things happen before November.

Speaking of November, I will be participating in National Novel Writing Month (or NaNoWriMo, as it is more commonly known), so updates may be a little sparse during that month. Unless, of course, I manage to keep this up while writing the novel I have planned. It could go either way, but I humbly ask for your patience on this matter. If there is a quality drop during that time, I'll have to take more time editing and all, so bear with me.

Thanks so much guys!

* * *

A loud thumping noise echoed around Pacifica's brain and dragged her from her sleep. A voice accompanied the constant sound. She blearily sat up, trying to rub the sleep from her eyes.

"Daughter!" Her eyes shot open as she recognized the voice. Her father. She looked over at Dipper, who was sitting cross legged on the daybed with his phone in his hand. Most probably texting Mabel. It was one hundred percent likely that her father knew Dipper was in there. It was also one hundred percent likely that he was going to flip out about everything that had transpired since yesterday morning. She hopped out of bed, feeling self-conscious about answering the door in her state of dress. She ignored the bottomless pit of her gut and cracked the door open, hoping that all her father would do was yell.

"Isn't it a bit early for this, father?" He looked absolutely furious. She prepared for the worst.

"Pacifica Northwest, where is that boy?" She blinked at her father.

"Oh my god, he's in your room. Do you know how scandalous this is? We can't tell anyone." Preston paced back and forth, anger and nerves apparent in every line of his body. Pacifica glanced over at Dipper, who had tucked his phone somewhere and looked extremely guilty and uncomfortable.

"Dad, calm down, we didn't do anyth-" He whirled around, a finger jabbing towards her face. He had long ago abandoned the bell he used to use to manipulate her. It didn't work anymore.

"That is where you're wrong! You have sullied your reputation, and in so doing have sullied the Northwest family name. Bringing a boy into the mansion, for purposes other than using him to better our name, is reprehensible. But then you let him sleep in your room!" His face was scant inches from her own, and she could see every angry wrinkle on his forehead. She stepped backwards, too intimidated and scared to say anything. Her father hadn't calmed down, and likely wasn't going to any time soon. She set her jaw.

"I don't care about reputations! Yours, mine, any of your shallow friends', any of them!" Her father gasped in shock, but he stayed mad.

"Pacifica!"

"It's the truth! I don't care what people think of me, and I sure as hell don't care what they think of you!" She felt the slap before she heard it, the bright red sting on her cheek washing away any emotion other than fear. The door slammed shut and locked, hitting her father in the face on its way to the frame. For good measure, Dipper put a chair under the knob to barricade it a little. She gently rested a hand over the inflamed spot. Her vision blurred. Small sobs threatened to escape, but any sort of sound she made was dwarfed by her father angrily banging and shouting at the door. After a few seconds, her mother's voice joined the sharp tones of her father's. Dipper's feet came into view.

"Pacifica?" His voice was clouded with worry. She shook her head. She didn't have enough air for her lungs to form words. Dipper stood nearby, clearly leaving her enough space to jump out the window if she so chose. She took a few moments to cry by herself, then took a step over to Dipper, who accepted her into his arms without saying anything but her name. He petted her hair and seemed to be resisting the urge to touch her face and make sure that she was okay. She rubbed her streaming nose onto her T-Shirt and gave Dipper a watery smile to try to let him know that she was fine. The concern on his face made her nervous, though.

"Pacifica, has he done that before?" She let out a shaky breath of air, still feeling like she was falling through her stomach. Her boyfriend reached out tentatively towards her face, and she let him explore the red mark her father had left. He took her silence as the affirmative that it was. She didn't want to say it out loud. She couldn't. Her parents' voices continued outside, although her father had stopped banging on the door.

"Are you safe here?" His tone implied that he didn't think she was, but it made her happy to know that he cared about her opinion on this matter. The truth was, she didn't feel safe. She felt like a puppet that her parents were using to elevate their station in life, a puppet that could be thrown away if it didn't prove useful. She cleared her throat. She really didn't think that they found her useful anymore. Not after the previous day's events.

"Not really." The tears spilled over her eyelashes again as Dipper pulled her close. She didn't feel trapped around him. He always encouraged her and made her feel like she could be herself. Her parents did the exact opposite. The brunette kissed the top of her head.

"Go ahead and change, Pacifica. You can come to the Mystery Shack and think about what to do next for a while." She nodded, smiling for real and kissing him on the lips to show it. He smiled back at her as she trotted over to the closet to change into a daytime outfit. When she came out of the closet wearing some skinny jeans and an orange ruffly blouse under her usual sweater, Dipper was wearing the same clothes that he had sported the previous day. Which was good, because the pajama pants she had let him borrow were way too short for his long legs. He was standing by the door, which was the only barrier between her and her father. Well, the chair was there too, but she didn't think it was doing much.

"You ready to get the golf cart and get out of here?" His hazel eyes warmed as she met them. She took a deep breath, stepped forward, and tugged the chair out from under the door handle.

"I'd say that we should race there, but you don't know the layout of the house, so I would win." Dipper laughed, kissing the top of her head as he unlocked the door. She chuckled and slid through as he cracked it open, eyes checking the hallway quickly before she settled. Her father wasn't there. Dipper quietly closed the door behind them, shuffling his backpack onto his shoulders. She reached one of her hands out towards his, and they linked their fingers together and started walking. Dipper was pretty quiet as they made their way to the garage. The blonde smiled up until she saw her mother in front of the garage door. She stopped walking, Dipper taking a protective step closer to her. Pacifica stared silently at her mother until the woman started to speak.

"Pacifica Northwest." The blonde kept staring, heart picking up its pace as the older woman continued, "your father and I have spoken, and we both feel that it's time for you to leave the nest." The teen felt like all of the blood had been evaporated from her body. Dipper squeezed her hand reassuringly. She squeezed back, but still couldn't keep track of what was happening.

"You have one week to collect your things and vacate the premises. Goodbye." The woman had the nerve to wipe away a single tear as she left the room. Pacifica stared at the door without seeing it. Dipper squeezed her hand again. Pacifica stepped forward and opened the garage door. What else was she supposed to do? Her parents had, yet again, made her decisions for her. She was so unprepared for everything. Her boyfriend helped her into the golf cart, then climbed into the driver's seat and started the little vehicle. She touched her cheek as they pulled out of the driveway. She had a lot of time to think, and her brain sucked her deep into the anxiety hole.

How would she pay for college if her parents were kicking her out of the house? She didn't have a job or a credit card. Where would she live? How many hours a week would she have to work to afford food and a place to live? Would she have time to volunteer at the library? She felt the color drain from her face. There was just too much to think about. She looked over at Dipper, who was speeding along the road in time with the other traffic. The cart was a bubble of silence. It pressed on her eardrums, suffocating her.

"Dipper?" He leaned towards the sound of her voice, eyes still glued to the road.

"I have no clue what to do." She folded her hands in her lap and waited as he thought of something to say. He was driving, so she wasn't expecting an answer right away.

"Well, clearly we have to make sure that you have all of your stuff. Maybe paperwork and things so you can apply for jobs. For now, I'm sure you can stay with us at the Shack. Grunkle Stan would never turn you away, despite what sass he may give you." His knuckles tightened on the steering wheel as a truck passed them. She let the calmness of his words wash over her. There was an easy way to make a plan. She could think about it when she was farther from the problem. Dipper patted her knee, jolting her from her thoughts.

"You missed that last part, sweetie." He was grinning. She smiled back at him.

"What was it?" Her cheeks were getting pelted by the wind.

"I said I love you and I'm here to help and support you whenever you need me." He pulled the cart off of the highway and down the gravel road towards the Mystery Shack. Towards freedom and safety. His cheeks were so red. She would bet that his hands were sweaty, too.

"Thank you, Dipper. I love you too." Her cheeks glowed and her heart lifted from the abyss. She wasn't alone. Somebody loved and cared about her enough to give a golf cart magical properties. Her existence held value for someone. And for that moment, that was all she needed to know.


	11. Chapter 11

After that long week of experimentation and praying that her idiot brother didn't kill himself through vehicular manslaughter, Mabel was ready to perform her own sort of experiment. Her twin would be out of the house the whole day, and it was Saturday so the Shack would have quite a few customers. The brunette would have to be strategic with her mystical alien hover technology! As soon as Dipper was gone, she had chugged some coffee she had found in the fridge. She thought it was hers, but the bitter taste made her realize that it was her brother's. Her second item of the day was to personalize the mugs. Things were way too confusing when they looked exactly the same.

But back to the first item. She glanced around the living room, looking for something specific. She moved her search to the upstairs rooms and found what she was looking for under Dipper's bed. The soft pink butt and curlicue tail that poked out from under his worn blue comforter were dead giveaways for the pig's presence. She smiled, sneaking up behind her pet. She scooped him up with a squeaky "whee!" noise. The pig joined her, less amused and more alarmed until she stopped spinning. After she had settled, Waddles did too, quietly gumming at her hair and snuffling through her sweater. She carried the heavy pig to her room, where the alien metal was. She had woven a ribbon through the shiny chunk until it resembled some sort of fancy necklace. Waddles continued to nibble on her fluffy hair as she gently tied it around his neck. The pig started to float, the hair he was eating being the only thing tethering him to Mabel. She giggled as his little legs wiggled in the air. He stayed about five and a half feet off the ground, bobbing a little as she dragged him from her bed towards the door. The pig made tiny chewing noises. A thought popped into her head. She dragged Waddles around the room, ignoring as his little pig teeth pulled at her hair. A few pipe cleaners, silver vinyl, and some glue later, Waddles looked like a martian that had just descended from outer space. She pressed her hands into her cheeks, smushing them against her lips and nose until her face resembled a blobfish.

"Waddles, you're so handsome and mysterious!" Saying the word 'mysterious' sent her brain into idealand. She grabbed her pet, then sprinted down the stairs and into the Mystery Shack. The taller twin let Waddles free to float about the gift shop, then opened up for the day. It was impossibly boring the whole morning. Exactly two customers had gone through the museum portion, and neither of them had noticed Waddles. She huffed, bangs flying out from her face only to settle back down directly in her eyeballs. She brushed them away as the gift shop door opened.

The most attractive boy she had ever seen walked in. The afternoon sun gleamed on his sea foam green hair, making some strands glint gold in the early morning light. He had piercings in his eyebrow, his nose, his ears, and his collarbones. Wherever he wasn't pierced was covered in tattoos. The ink flowed over his muscular arms, covered and obscured in places where the most intricate jewelry she had ever seen rested against his skin. She closed her mouth and straightened up, flashing her most attractive smile. The boy looked right at her, yellow eyes going from straight gold to butter with just a single step out from direct sunlight. She felt like she was melting.

"Welcome to the Mystery Shack, would you like a tour or are you just browsing?" She fluttered her eyelashes, clearly trying to flirt. The boy grinned, his front teeth slightly crooked. His nose looked like it had been broken and healed funny, as well. Could this Adonis be a bad boy? She wondered if her brother would murder her for making goo-goo eyes at someone so hardcore.

"I'm just browsing. I realized that I drive past here every few months when I go to conventions and things and I was curious." Mabel moved away from the register so he could see the cute outfit she had on. Her floral miniskirt and yellow sweater combo was killer. Her new vantage point gave her a better look at the guy, too. He was super casual, a simple white tank top and deep grey sweatpants covering as little skin as was possible without getting arrested for public indecency. He also had ratty converse sneakers on his feet, but they were bedecked with sharpie scribbles and duct tape patches, so she wasn't about to judge. She knew a favorite pair of shoes when she saw one.

"I mean, this is a gift shop. It's harder to appreciate all the finery when you don't know the lore behind it, don't you think? Come on, the tour's on me." She nudged one of his arms with her elbow, throwing in an eyebrow wiggle for good measure. He smiled at her, then his eyes locked onto something behind and slightly above her.

"Is that a floating pig?" She downright beamed. It was about time somebody had noticed Waddles!

"Yeah, he's my pet. He likes to…" She tried to think of a better joke than 'hang around,' but got nothing.

"Were you going to say 'hang around?'" She blushed, "I mean, yes, but now that I'm thinking it and hearing it out loud, it sounds kind of cheesy."

"Monterey or Pepper Jack?" His golden gaze stared through her eyes and straight into her brain as he spoke. Looking through his peripheral vision like that should have been illegal due to the effects it had on her face and heart. The organ was now skipping beats.

"I was thinking Parmesan, personally." She managed to say it without stuttering, but she was still so out of sorts. He chuckled and took the offered elbow and gestured towards the tour area. His hand was so warm, too warm considering the tanktop he was wearing in Oregon. Gravity Falls wasn't the coldest place on the map, but it had been a chilly morning and Mabel wasn't used to warm hands on chilly mornings. She figured she could get used to it, though. Not that she was imagining marrying a total stranger or anything. But she would want the table cloths to match his eyes. That pastel shade of yellow was to die for. She focused on where they were walking before she face-planted into the postcard display stand.

"So, what's your name?" His voice was deeper than the ocean, smooth as syrup and warm as lava. Mabel smiled as he spoke, unable to stop her blushing cheeks from deepening in color.

"Mabel Pines. And you, mysterious traveller?" Her voice cracked as she phrased the question. Which would have been embarrassing during a normal conversation, but in front of this smooth-talker she felt even more out of place. He smiled, casting that sideways glance over her again. She felt a chill go down her spine as they entered the tour area.

"Aric Whitmoore. So, Ms. Pines, what is it that I'm looking at?" If she wanted to be honest, which she didn't, they would be looking at random bird feathers glued to a rat's head that had been sewn onto the biggest tarantula she had ever seen. But, she was selling lies and false information, so she told the story her Grunkle Stan usually went with.

"Deep in the forest, so far in the underbrush that sunlight can't filter between the branches of the conifers and pines, this creature used to dwell." Her voice took on a mysterious tone, and she subtly pulled her guest forward, "The Ratticus Deathicus would lure mice and birds close with its extravagantly colorful feathers. Then, when it was too late for running, it would spray venom like a cobra, aiming for vital spots like the eyes and mouth. This vicious animal was said to be able to take down an elephant if it had to. It was a ground dweller, usually, although it excelled at tree climbing and egg stealing as well." Aric's eyes twinkled in the spotlight, and she could tell that he was looking the conglomeration over. His sharp gaze missed nothing.

"What an intriguing story. I have to hear more." Mabel smiled at him, nearly losing all of her brain cells when he smiled back. She was going to be a Humpty Dumpty mess if this kept up. They still had three more biggies to go, with about five littler exhibits in between. She walked towards the next piece.

"And here we have…" She wove the story like a true fairy tale, incorporating objects around the room to flesh it out. Her companion never seemed to stop smiling, and by the end of the tour she was so frazzled from his constant eye contact that she didn't even notice the other customers in the shop.

"Have you gotten a better appreciation for all of . . . this?" She waved a hand about the store. He gently squeezed her elbow before letting go. She was never washing that sweater again. Not when his warm hand hadn't even left a sweaty mark on the fabric but somehow made it smell like mulch after an evening rain. Which, she supposed, was a lot like dead earthworm mash and would turn off a lot of people. At least she knew nobody would want to steal the garment.

"You know, I do believe that I have." His playful grin spread over his face, highlighting his absolutely amazing cheekbones. His face was so unfairly attractive.

"Happy shopping, then." She wanted to get his number so bad. How was she supposed to ask, though? Oh, she had no idea what she was doing. Her legs jerkily brought her back to the register where Waddles was still floating. She rung out ten customers in a row, not noticing that Aric was the last one until her fingers brushed against his and all of the amazing jewelry and tattooing came into her view. He was getting some special rocks. And a snow globe. She flashed a brilliant smile as she rang him up, suave and smooth on the outside while her brain ran around like a metaphorical headless chicken on the inside. He was quiet throughout the whole thing, likely because the brunette had forgotten to speak to him when she recognized him. As his receipt printed, she grabbed a marker and quickly wrote her number at the bottom and left a smiley face next to it. She stuffed it into the bag with his cheap junk, and smiled again as he took the bag. Her hazel eyes locked with his vivid yellow ones one last time.

"Thank you very much, Ms. Mabel Pines. I had a great time today." Sultry was probably a good word to describe Aric's voice. Mabel felt her cheeks flush again and cursed the melanin that she didn't have. She didn't realize that she was leaning over the counter until her hip started to smart.

"I did, too. You ought to come back sometime." She glanced down at the bag, then back up at the green haired guy. She winked, and he smiled. They said their goodbyes, and Mabel was left with her floating pig and her head in the clouds. She wondered if her new crush would text or call.

At least until Dipper got back the next day. She hadn't been expecting to see Pacifica, and when Dipper mentioned why she had a bruise on her face, Mabel wanted to go get her grappling gun and grapple a specific someone's face with it.

"That's it, you're never allowed to go back there by yourself until they're dead." Dipper gasped a little at her words, but the brunette wasn't about to take it back. Pacifica tried to argue, but the taller twin just shoved Waddles into the blonde's arms and continued talking.

"Ciffy, be smart about this. Your dad is a big guy, and you are super tiny. If he gets violent enough to leave a bruise right on your face for the world to see, then he could be violent enough to just kill you. I'm not going to stand by and let that happen, and neither are you. When you go back to get your stuff, you are bringing both Dipper and Grunkle Stan with you. No exceptions!" Her friend hugged the pig, burying her face into the soft pink velvet. She mumbled something.

"Ciffy, louder please."

"I said okay, fine, I'll do it your way." Mabel relaxed. Dipper seemed to feel a little better, too.

"Now then, you need cookies, Dipper needs to take a picture of your face, and we are watching some crappy cartoons until everybody feels better!" With the green haired guy out of her mind and concern for her friend on top of her to do list, Mabel went to the kitchen to make her ultra-special-pick-me-up-quadruple-chocolate-chunk cookies. Otherwise known as the USPMUQCC cookies. She made them the most often. Maybe she was more stressed out than she liked to admit. But nobody cared when the result was cookies. She would have to personalize mugs another day.


	12. Chapter 12

Mabel got a text after Pacifica had settled in for the night. She grabbed the gently glowing box, then tiptoed out of the bedroom and into the bathroom. After flicking on the light, she stared at the message. From an unknown number. She giggled, a hand rushing to cover the noise so that Pacifica wouldn't wake up. The brunette unlocked her phone, quickly opening the message and devouring the contents.

 _I'm fairly sure that this is the wonderful Mabel Pines ;) It's Aric._ The words that flickered on the screen made her heart rise into her throat. How was she supposed to respond to it? She should try to be casual.

 _Hey, Aric! Ur Right, it's totes me!_ No, that wasn't right. She deleted it.

 _I thought u werent gonna text me!_ Eeeh, that was alright, but it didn't feel finished. She tacked another sentence onto the end.

 _Thanks for humoring me about the tour today._ That seemed better. She knew that he was observant. There was no way that he didn't know every single thing in the museum was fake. She sent the message, then paced around the bathroom. This guy was super attractive, but considering her previous crushes over the past few years, he was also likely to not be human. Or, if he was human, he was probably crazy. She had been burned so many times, but her gut instinct had been to slip this total stranger her number. Maybe she was the crazy one? Her phone buzzed in her hand and she looked down at the screen that told her she had a message from an unknown number. She looked at the text.

 _Hey, no problem! I liked hearing your stories and hanging out. Maybe I could show you my job next time? Although, you got a glimpse of it today._ Next time. He didn't care that everything was fake. Relief flooded her system. Then she saw the last sentence. She got a glimpse of his work already? She tried to think back. The tattoos? No, an artist wouldn't put tats on themselves, that would be too painful. Maybe the jewelry?

 _Was it the bracelets? Do u make jewelry?_ She sat on the toilet, entering Aric's contact information into her phone as "Aric the Hot Maybe Crazy Dude." She really wanted him to be a sane human being. Her phone buzzed as she stared into space.

 _Sure do! Here's a link to my shop:_ The link went to a totally legitimate site, and she browsed around a bit. All of his work was so original and intricate! His jewelry ranged from small and delicate to large and graceful. He seemed to prefer aquatic motifs and themes. She could respect that. She had an affinity for cute animals. Also, his sleeve tattoos made more sense now that she knew he liked the ocean. The wavy blues and greens that had traveled up his left arm closely resembled ocean waves and seaweed. She went back to her messaging program and typed out a response.

 _Holy wow your stuff is amazing! All I do is knit sweaters!_ She closed her eyes, the deep yellow hues of his irises flickering against the backs of her lids. Her phone buzzed, but her tired fingers barely felt it. She leaned over until her shoulder was braced against the wall and fell asleep to dreams of yellow eyes and moving tattoos on skin.

Dipper met Grunkle Stan the next day when he got back from the convention. His Grunkle looked worse for wear, like he had run a marathon and caught the flu halfway through.

"Jeeze, Grunkle Stan, what happened to you?" Stan just sighed and grumbled something about never wanting to see that many old ladies in cat sweaters ever again. Dipper just shrugged it off.

"Um, Grunkle Stan?" He heaved a suitcase out of the car and followed the adult towards the Mystery Shack.

"Yeah, kiddo?" Stan threw the front door open to find Mabel chasing a hovering Waddles who was eating Pacifica's blonde hair. Dipper cringed. He was supposed to have warned Stan about Pacifica before he walked inside. His Grunkle turned and gave him a confused look.

"Was this what you wanted to talk about?" Dipper stared at his feet, ignoring his burning cheeks.

"Uh, yeah. Pacifica's parents kicked her out of the house and she needs some help getting her stuff back." He tried to not sound angry about it, but only managed to sound really angry about it. Stan patted his shoulder, "Don't worry, kiddo. I know what it's like to be kicked out of your home. Lemme talk to her." Dipper dragged the suitcase into the house and up the stairs. Mabel and Waddles soon followed, although his sister was glued to her phone. He left the suitcase right outside of Grunkle Stan's room, then followed his sister to her room. She barely ever used her phone, and when she did it was usually to text her brother. The shorter twin tugged his own phone out and texted Wendy, who was taking summer classes at her college.

 _Is Mabel texting you right now?_ Mabel's giggles from the other room made him a little more suspicious than he already was. Maybe she was texting Candy or Grenda? His phone chimed, and he checked the message then sent out a few more. All of Mabel's friends said that she wasn't texting them. He avoided answering their 'why do you ask?'s and poked his head into her room.

"Mabel, did you give your number to a random stranger again?" She jumped, hiding the device behind her sweater as she turned to face her sibling. Dipper raised his eyebrows at her suspicious behavior.

"No, I did not do that." Her eyebrows pinched together over her nose, and her shifty eyes wouldn't meet his for more than two seconds. He raised his eyebrows a little more.

"Mabel, you're a shit liar. Was it a boy again?" She pouted.

"Come on, Dipper, I don't give my phone number to just anybody!" Dipper sighed. She had only done the phone number thing once before, but it had ended so disastrously that he was surprised she had given it a second chance.

"Is it someone who's in the area?" She shrugged.

"You have no idea?" She paused for a moment, thinking.

"Well, he said that he drove by the Mystery Shack pretty often because he goes into other cities and stuff to sell jewelry at events." Dipper rubbed a hand over his face, "Mabel, is he a thief?"

"No, you suspicious dumb-dumb, he's not a thief! He makes it all!" Dipper wasn't sure if he should believe her or not. Her face said she wasn't lying, but the guy she was talking to was a total stranger.

"Dipstick, how is this any different than those weird conspiracy theory sites you go to? You share your e-mail with everyone you meet!" He puffed his chest out to argue, but she had a point. He sighed.

"Okay, but you are not meeting him by yourself. You have to take someone with you, preferably me or Grunkle Stan, okay?" She rolled her eyes.

"Oh please, if he wants to see me he can come here during daylight hours." Dipper nodded.

"Honestly, after all this shit that went down with Pacifica, I may just be paranoid. I want you to be safe, Mabel. You're important." Her glare softened and she trotted over to give her brother a hug. The shorter twin accepted her hug, letting all the panic and fear that he'd had all weekend drain away. Mabel was smart. She might be silly and weird and crafty, but she had her own common sense and he had to remember that. Especially when things got crazy. His sister rubbed little circles into his shoulders, then patted his back and stood him up straight.

"Okay, Dipperdoodle. You know what I'm up to and you know I'm trying to be smart about it. Now get out of my room and see if Grunkle Stan has finished talking to Pacifica so you can hug her!" She winked, then gently shoved him out of her room and closed the door. He stared at the bedazzled mess for a few seconds, smiling at how she could still be herself even after all the years and things that they've been through. He turned, and descended the steps to check on Pacifica. Grunkle Stan didn't seem to be talking, so it was probably as good a time as any to see what was happening.


	13. Chapter 13

Pacifica marched up to her parent's mansion, determination keeping her chin up and shoulders back. Dipper walked a few paces behind on her left and his Grunkle Stan followed on her right. She had borrowed some pants from Dipper and a cute shirt from Mabel and she felt powerful. Upon reaching the door, all of the good feelings were gone and she was beginning to shrink into herself a little. A lot. She felt a hand at her wrist and turned enough to see Dipper smiling encouragingly. She wasn't alone, and she wasn't going to let her parents do anything to make her feel like she was. A butler opened the door to let them inside. She strode through, her boyfriend's hand in hers and came face to face with her father. She gulped, but stubbornly stuck her chin out and glared at him. Preston sniffed as though there was a foul scent in the room.

"Pacifica, your mother and I took the liberty of reclaiming anything that belonged to the family. Mainly jewels. You may go to the room you used to inhabit and collect your things." Grunkle Stan stepped forward as she dragged Dipper down a hallway and up some stairs. She could hear yelling, mostly because Stan Pines only had one set volume at any given time. Dipper seemed to want to hear what was going on, but the sheer amount of shouting was making her heart race. The brunette didn't let go of her hand until they reached her room. She took a deep breath, then entered the now sparse area. Her stuffed animals had been neatly boxed and labelled, as had her clothing. The ball gowns and jewelry had been removed, as had her makeup. Her posters had been neatly rolled up and tucked into cylindrical carrying containers. She couldn't take either the daybed or her four-poster due to the size. Another box was labelled "MISC," so she looked inside. Everything that had been on her nightstand was in there. A third box just said books, and she didn't bother checking to see if everything was there. Her parents had no interest in taking her reading material, only the symbols of social status that had once belonged to her. Dipper scooped up a few boxes.

"At least they packed it up for you." He didn't sound particularly excited about that. If she had to place that tone of voice, she would describe it as resentful. Pacifica grabbed her posters and the box of miscellaneous items and started to trudge back down the stairs. Dipper closely followed, staying silent since she hadn't responded to his first statement. They walked into the foyer as Grunkle Stan shouted a particularly creative insult at her father, who tried to play it off but only succeeded in getting pissed off. She dropped her stuff on the porch and whirled around and left the room as quickly as possible. She could see reporters gathering at the gates. Dipper lagged, but didn't stay to hear the conversation.

"Dipper, thanks for your help." He stuttered a bit before answering, "Of course, I mean, what kind of friend would I be if I didn't? Er, boyfriend? I mean-" She chuckled, cutting him off and causing a small laugh to escape his vocal chords.

"I do mean it, though." Her bangs stuck to her flushed, sweaty forehead. There were so many stairs and hallways between her room and the front door.

"I couldn't do this by myself." He wrapped his arms around her in a gentle hug and kissed her hair. She smiled a little, spirits rising as they linked hands and trotted towards her room.

"Do you know what Grunkle Stan and your parents are arguing about?" She nodded.

"It's illegal to kick your kid out before they turn eighteen. Since I'm a minor, he's threatening to get a lawyer for me and to sue their asses if they don't provide sustenance or financial support. They don't seem to be taking it well." Dipper squeezed her hand three times, a code he'd told her meant "I love you." He said that when he was younger his parents would do that. She blushed and squeezed back. He giggled.

It didn't take too much longer to get the last boxes down to the porch. Grunkle Stan had brought the car around, though her father was still tomato faced with rage. By the time they had packed the trunk, Preston had calmed down and was scarily peaceful. The gates were crowded with people as they drove towards it. Stan rolled the windows up and honked his horn. She kept her boyfriend's hand in hers, heart thumping disproportionately fast compared to his. They slowly rolled past the crowd as her parents strolled up and started taking questions. A nauseating feeling rolled through her midsection. They were doing damage control already. She stared at her feet as Dipper rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, trying to help her relax. The small gesture meant the world to her, but did little in the actual comfort area.

The dusty red car pulled into the driveway and parked right next to the door of the Mystery Shack. Mabel barrelled out the door, flabbergasted noises falling from her mouth as she pointed towards the interior of the building. Dipper unbuckled and raced inside, probably thinking that his sister had lit something on fire. All she heard from inside was a screechy, "what the fuck!?" She looked at Stan, who shrugged. Pacifica slowly climbed out of the car and walked towards the shack, only to get grabbed and bodily shoved into the house by Mabel.

"Pacifica, is this true? Your parents!" The sinking feeling in her gut hit rock bottom. She wanted to throw up. Instead, she allowed herself to be dragged in front of the T.V, where Dipper was standing and looking horrified at the screen. She hadn't thought that mouths could make perfect ohs like that. Mabel turned the volume up as Stan creaked his way up the front steps.

"The Northwest family has dropped some shocking news on the sleepy little town of Gravity Falls!" The image cut from the lady behind the newscaster desk and went to some live footage in front of the mansion. Her hands clenched into nervous fists. The camera zoomed in on her father's face as he addressed the crowd.

"Now, now, my dear folks! I know what this looks like! Pacifica loading boxes and things into the trunk of somebody else's car would have concerned me, too. But listen, I'll tell you the real truth. Our daughter said that she wanted to try living like a true adult for the last weeks of the summer, so we've found a good place for her to rent from. We're giving her a weekly allowance so that she can afford everything she needs, and on top of that she has all of her paperwork so she can even try having a job." The blonde was surprised that her father hadn't cringed at the word 'job.' Her mouth felt like the Sahara during dry season.

"So please understand, we are encouraging our wonderful daughter, Pacifica Northwest, to follow her dreams. There's no cause for alarm, we're just trying to accommodate her every whim." She was losing feeling in her fingertips from clenching them so hard. Mabel was making the same face as her brother, which had shifted from a doughnut of surprise into a disgusted grimace. The only difference was that Mabel was more confused and Dipper was downright furious. She took a step towards him, but faltered. The intensity of his anger frightened her.

"How could anybody fucking lie like that?" Grunkle Stan stood in the doorway, arms crossed over his stomach. Dipper's hands were clenched into fists, knuckled going yellow and white with the amount of pressure he was applying. Pacifica cleared her throat, then took a step back as the brunette leveled his glare on her. He probably didn't even know he was doing it. She looked at the floor.

"They always do this, Dipper. Lying, cheating, ruining lives. That's why I've been trying so hard to not be like them. They hide from the consequences of their actions by throwing their prestige and money at it." He didn't seem to calm down. Instead, he just made the strangest and angriest noise she had ever heard and stormed out of the house. She looked at Mabel, who read her expression perfectly.

"Don't worry, Pacifica, when he's mad at people he loves he's a lot nicer about it. Trust me, he's been mad at me at least a zillion times. I'm a Dipper expert at this point." Pacifica let Mabel gently grab her hand and lead her up to the room they were sharing. Stan called up after them, "When Dipper gets back I'll have him get your shit out of the car. Make yourself at home, Pacifica!" Mabel thanked him, then closed the door behind her and sat down with her. The blonde felt her eyes water. Mabel got a box of tissues as they started to talk about everything.

* * *

Dipper had been walking, pounding the dirt and grass with his worn sneakers. Each step became more forceful than the last, and before he knew it, he was running. He was beyond furious at Pacifica's parents. How dare they? How could anybody have the nerve to hurt someone, remove their access to much needed funds, and then play it off like they were doing it to support them? Especially parents! He let his anger consume him, feet hitting the earth like it was going to solve his problems. The filthy, disgusting liars. Suddenly, the ground opened up beneath him, and his arms flailed for a purchase without his brain even thinking. The only things his eyes saw before he hit the ground was a pair of great stone wings spread majestically across the gap between the realm of Earth and the gargoyle's labyrinth. He cursed as the darkness swallowed him whole.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: To the anon that wanted me to put sex in here: No. I appreciate that you read the first chapter, but I am not writing that kind of shit right now (much less posting it for the whole internet to see). Please enjoy the rest of the story at your leisure. :P

* * *

Dipper woke up in the rocky labyrinth even angrier than when he had stormed out of the Mystery Shack. He pulled his phone out to see that he had, naturally, no fucking signal. Resisting the urge to throw the technology against one of the many rocky walls, the brunette set out down the hallway to stew in peace. He was fairly certain that every road led to the center room, anyway. Who cared if he didn't have food or water or a way to get out? He sure fucking didn't! Not when the world was inhabited by abusive pieces of shit who couldn't own up to their actions if their lives depended on it. His legs kept moving, but his brain paused at that. Maybe if they knew they were being shitty, they would change the way they've been acting? Of course, that would require some sort of moral values to be ingrained in them and Dipper didn't think that they had any. He had forgotten how quiet the monster's lair was. The constant _drip, drip, drip_ was really not helping him with the whole trying to calm down thing. He followed the noise, thinking that maybe he could plug the leak with his useless cell phone and call it a day.

What he found instead was a dark chamber, lit by dizzying red light from above. The walls were a jet black stone, while the floor looked and felt the same as the corridor he had just been in. A short, circular plateau took up the whole middle of the room, and a deep black throne sat atop the very center of that. Small, sparkling drops of water fell from the ceiling to the floor just in front of the throne. Dipper looked around for the gargryphon. The space above the throne was too dark to see anything of import. He slowly stepped into the room, rage put on a back burner as he explored the new space. The red light filtering down from above made him wonder if the crystalline pink room was up there. A gravelly voice sounded from behind as his foot stepped onto the raised step.

"If you keep coming here, you really ought to start paying rent or something." Dipper whirled around, right foot still glued firmly to the step. The creature's eyes glowed a deep red that matched the light streaming down from above. Dipper stared as it moved closer, walking on it's hind legs with it's long tail laying over a dainty foreleg. The brunette morphed his surprised face so that it became a murderous glare. The monster cackled, the cacophony of noise echoing around the chamber.

"I didn't come here on purpose!" The teen's indignant voice cracked, and the gargoyle's laughter slowly died down. The beast shot forward, rocky feathers grinding to a halt scant inches away from Dipper's face. He blinked, instinctively backing away from the enormous beak. His legs bumped into the throne.

"If you didn't intend to come here, then how did you arrive?" Dipper stuttered in response, causing the gryphon to laugh again.

"Look, you are clearly upset about something that you cannot control. You didn't even bring your usual safety net to help escape this time. You are clearly not in need of more Mercury's Bane. This room doesn't open for petty objects like that. So, Dipper Pines. Whatever could you have entered my labyrinth for?" The gargoyle's beak moved forward, nudging the boy in the chest until he collapsed into the glassy black throne. The anger he had stored away in the back of his mind bubbled to the forefront again. Preston Northwest had never once faced the consequences for his actions. Maybe it was about time that he did. Something about that thought didn't ring true in his gut, so he played it safe.

"Sure I'm pissed off at someone, but what could you do about it?" The creature smiled, beak contorting menacingly.

"Revenge? Is that what you want?" Conflicting emotions boiled near his esophagus. Did he want to avenge Pacifica's honor by watching her parents' reputations get besmirched? Definitely yes. Was Pacifica going to want him to do anything? He doubted that. The gargoyle loomed over him, red eyes casting a vivid glow over the human. Dipper met the hypnotic colored orbs, every emotion other than outrage fading away from his brain. Fiery anger licked up the teen's throat, the embery intensity tainting his words. The room dripped red.

"I do want revenge." The gargryphon in front of him held up two vials of what the teen assumed was blood. Maybe it was even his own blood.

"Make a deal with me." Dipper lowered his head, eyes on the vials.

"I will give you enough power to do anything and everything that your heart desires in this moment if, and only if, you promise to watch over the labyrinth." The brunette's gut felt empty and his eyes burned as though they were aflame. He didn't want this. He shouldn't want this. He wanted this very much. He reached out, despite not telling the arm to do anything.

"Deal accepted." His voice sounded strange to his ears, like leaves rustling on concrete. The gargoyle's eyes twinkled, and his stony fist clench against the vials. The glass crunched, the thick liquid inside spraying over them both. Dipper blinked, unable to feel first his fingers and toes, then his legs. The monster caught his gaze again. Red was all he could see as his body went numb. Slowly, his body filled with fire. The pain was too much, but he couldn't scream and he couldn't move. Panic mingled with the flames, fireworks of pain shooting through all of his nerve endings.

When the waves of nausea subsided, all that was left was the boiling rage in the pit of his stomach. He shakily stood from the throne, only to be dragged back down by gravity. Two very large protrusions attached to his back. He tried to move one, only to have it knock into the throne. He stood once more, correcting his stance so that the extensions on his shoulder blades wouldn't drag him down. He raised his arms and extended the protrusions to find that they were feathery wings. His skin, and the feathers, all shared the same marble texture. He smiled, teeth feeling pointier than ever. The room started to fade from red to a bright aquamarine. He stared at the ceiling, then through it. The sky was bright overhead. He wanted to be in it. His wings spread, then flapped. A slight shift in his focus made his arms tingle, and before long he was gaining altitude. Zipping through the caverns around him, the newly made gargoyle screamed as he flew from underground to the sky.

He had one purpose. To eliminate the dishonorable Northwest family.

And then to guard the labyrinth for all of eternity.


	15. Chapter 15

Pacifica and Mabel were glued to the T.V. screen, where an emergency announcement had interrupted their marathon of children's cartoons. They had been switching from Spongebob to My Little Pony when the screen had gone black and faded into the action news report. A good chunk of downtown Gravity Falls was on fire, and the road leading to the Northwest mansion was turned literally upside down. The blonde gasped at the scenes. Cars were overturned, people were hurt and injured. Eyewitnesses said that a vengeful angel had descended from the sky to rain fire upon all. Some shitty phone footage was all they had, but the winged shape hadn't looked familiar at that distance. Her parents were in trouble, and she was having difficulty wanting to help them. Sure, they had birthed and raised her, but when she weighed the pros and the cons, it was a standstill. If she helped them, they might let her move back in. They could already be dead. If she didn't save them, good news! She could inherit the Northwest fortune and actually help people with it. Except they would be dead, and yet again, could already theoretically be dead. Mabel stood up, squinting at the screen as they replayed the cell phone footage of the incident. Pacifica joined her, but still couldn't see anything too descriptive aside from humanoid and wings. It wasn't the gargryphon, because that thing had been more animalistic. Mabel gasped, startling the blonde into a standing position.

"Oh my gosh, what Mabel?" The brunette looked scared.

"That thing is wearing Dipper's hat. I'm sure of it." That would explain why he had been gone for such a long time. If he was alive they were going to start keeping him on a leash so he couldn't get into shit without another person present. She tugged her phone out from the couch cushion it had fallen behind and sent her boyfriend a text.

 _Hey, babe. If you're out and about u should come back to the shack bc there's some crazy shit going down and i dont want u to get hurt._ They had texted him earlier, but figured that he was sulking or something. They hadn't worried about his radio silence. Pacifica's stomach was twisting into knots. Her phone buzzed as the television switched from a view of the news station to on the scene cameras. Her stomach dropped out of existence when she saw the message.

 _I'm invincible, Pacifica. Your parents are not. And they will never hurt you again, I promise._ She looked up at the screen with eyes that hadn't blinked in what felt like years. The cameras were zooming in on the marble-like winged human that stood behind the gates of the Northwest mansion. It's aqua eyes held an unearthly glow. It's left hand held a black ceremonial blade while the right gripped a familiar blue jacket that was speckled with blood. Pacifica's phone fell through her numb fingers as she recognized the birthmark on the gargoyle's forehead. Mabel screamed. Pacifica turned and ran out the door, grabbing Grunkle Stan's keys from the hook next to the door as she went. She had never driven his car before, but she had to get to her parents' house before Dipper did something he couldn't reverse. She didn't have much time, The blonde jumped into Stan's car, turned the key in the ignition, and sped out of the driveway and onto the highway faster than she had ever made a vehicle go in her life.

Mabel felt tears fall from her eyes as she stared at the blurry image of her twin brother. He hadn't done anything drastic yet, if she didn't count the fact that he had overturned twelve miles of road. Or that he had lit parts of the surrounding forest on fire. She reached for her phone as Grunkle Stan rushed into the room, then out of the other side. He cursed very loudly from the kitchen and trudged back into the living room.

"Mabel, what is going on?" He sounded defeated.

"Dipper's become a malevolent beast, so Pacifica stole your car."

He sighed, "I always thought you would be the one to steal my car. I mean I'm proud of Pacifica for doing it, but really? Couldn't have been one of MY kiddos?" He paused, scratching an itch on his arm as he thought.

"Wait, Dipper's evil now?" She nodded, blindly reaching for her phone as it went off. Stan grumbled something, then went into a different room. The brunette looked at the text message.

 _Mabel, I was watching the news just now! Are yuo okay? What's happening?_ It was from Aric. She had almost forgotten about him. The news crew edged closer to the mansion, then there was raucous screaming and jostling as her brother leapt over the fence to address the crowd.

"Well hello there, everyone! I'm so glad you could join me for this little show-" His voice sounded distorted, raspy and dry and thick with emotion. Mabel backed away from the T.V. He continued, "As you all know, the humans living inside this mansion are greedy moneybags. They kicked their own daughter out and tried to cover it up with publicity and bullshit. I'm not about to sit in the woods while horrible people get away with abusing others." Mabel texted Aric back.

 _I think he made some sort of deal with a gargoyle and now hes trying to get revenge on some people who hurt his girlfriend_. Her new friend responded more quickly than she thought human fingers could type.

 _A gargoyle r u srs rn hold on I'm on my way over. we have to get to the lair asap!_ Mabel didn't bother to respond. An explosion rocked the cameras nearest to the mansion as Dipper turned away from them and launched himself back over the fence. Grunkle Stan's car pulled into view, didn't slow down even though there were people scrambling to get out of the way, and crashed through the gate. Dipper, who was most of the way to the mansion, turned around. His aquamarine gaze leveled on the newcomer, who was shakily removing herself from the front seat. Mabel missed what happened next because the power went out as a series of forceful knocks made the front door creak. Grunkle Stan cursed and loudly tripped over something.

"I got it!" She ran to the door, throwing it open. Aric looked like he had been sleeping outside for a week. His hair was mussed, grass and leaves sticking out of it at odd angles. Deep bluish purple bags hung under his buttery irises. He was also barefoot, which maybe she should have noticed earlier. There was no car in the driveway. Her eyebrows rose on her forehead and she stared him in the face. One of her hands freed itself from the sweater and pointed to the green haired boy's toes.

"How the fuck did you get here so fast?" He followed her point, then shuffled nervously.

"I, uh, I ran." She started to close the door on him.

"Mabel, please, this is serious!" He stuck his hand in the frame, keeping her from shutting the door because doing so would result in lost fingers. He didn't step inside, just kept her from leaving the bizarre situation.

"What are you? How can I trust you? Were you stalking me?" Aric stuttered, trying to respond to her rapid fire questionnaire. He made a disgusted face at the last question.

"Okay, let me do this in order here. I'm an earthen elemental. My powers, much like the gargoyle who tricked your brother, come from the ground we step on every day. You can trust me because I am one of the few supernatural spirits on this planet who doesn't harbor ill will towards humans. And fuck no, I was not stalking you. I literally just ran here like a gazelle as soon as I saw the report on the news." He paused to take a breath.

"Where is the gargoyle's den?" Mabel stuck her feet into her flats as Stan walked in.

"Great, first magic now strangers. Mabel, who the hell is this kid?" He glanced down, then back up.

"Also, where are his shoes? Is he a hippy?" Aric chuckled at the insult, then stuck his hand out.

"I'm Aric Whitmoore, sir, owner of Seafaring Jewels. It's an online jewelry shop. I make it all myself." Mabel slipped out the door as they exchanged greetings.

"Yes, Aric is helping me to undo whatever Dipper just did, so if you would please excuse us, Grunkle Stan, we have to find an unfindable labyrinth before my brother straight up murders some people! Aric, come on." She whirled, grabbing the taller boy's arm and bodily dragging him from the porch. After they were out of sight of the Mystery Shack, Mabel squeezed his hand harder than was necessary.

"How do we reverse this?" Aric huffed, his cheeks puffing up with air. He didn't complain about her death grip, though.

"I've only seen this get done once before, but my magic works differently than that person's so I don't really know what to tell you. It's kind of a 'learn as you go' sort of shindig." Mabel made a strangled noise, then buried her forehead in his upper arm. The muscles shifted under her face, a sure sign that he was uncomfortable. She didn't really care about his feelings at that moment of time.

"So whatever you do might not work?" Aric made an uncertain noise that reverberated through her skin. His arm was too hot.

"It will most likely work. On the hierarchical scale of magical power, elementals are technically stronger than gargoyles. Your brother was only just turned, so my spell should be even more effective." Mabel stood up straight, tugging on the green haired boy's arm so that he would look at her again.

"How can you tell that he's new still?" She was curious. Plus, walking was boring when she only had her nerves to keep her company.

"He's still mostly human-shaped. If he was an older gargoyle, he wouldn't have any human attributes. The oldest ones of all can't even walk on two legs anymore. Are we going the right way?" Mabel looked up at his inquiry, realizing that they were actually at the spot already.

"Uh, we're here. That was faster than usual." Aric smiled, fiddling with some of his rings as they stopped walking. She jumped when she realized that his eyes were faintly glowing.

"What is it with you earth thingies and having glowing eyes? Literally what? That is so spooky, hold on, let me put my heart back where it's supposed to be…" He laughed, the midtones ringing through the clearing. She smiled despite how awful the whole day had been. Her new friend was just so relaxing to be around, like a calming aura.

"So, how do we get in?" She looked at the tree that the gargoyle had always dive-bombed them from, "because we always had a garguide." He snorted at her horrible pun. Her cheeks flushed.

"I think I can crack the magical seal over the entrance." He gently touched her elbow, guiding the teen to safety. As much as being behind another tree was safe in that situation.

"You stay here, and don't watch. It's going to get a little bright and a bit toasty." She nodded, crouching behind the large trunk. Aric left her field of vision, and everything was quiet for about one minute. Then, what sounded like a roaring bonfire rushed through her ears and a bright white light bloomed in front of her eyes. She squeezed them shut, trying to ignore the afterimages and her sudden loss of balance. Heat waves rushed by, making her sweat. Then, just as suddenly as the jamboree had started, everything went silent and cold. She shivered, her now damp sweater doing absolutely nothing to protect her from the night air. The green haired elemental trotted back over, looking a little more tired but entirely unscathed. He gently helped her up. Mabel took a moment to let her eyes focus on his face. The dim yellow glow from his eyes was even more disorienting than last time.

"I think you downplayed the effects of your spell. Everything looks wrong right now and you're paying my medical bills if it keeps up."

He nodded, "That's fair." She let her eyes fully adjust, and then they walked over to the edge of the opening. It was impossibly dark, but she recognized the pink crystals and throne. That was never where they had entered before. She gave Aric an inquisitive glance.

"What?" He seemed genuinely confused. She glanced back at the room.

"The maze is missing." His eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"I'm sorry, do you want to go through the corridors? I always forget, some people are super into the labyrinth thing. I didn't think we had time for that though, so I just went straight to the core. I figured that would be practical." Mabel glared at him in a friendly manner.

"No, I meant it. My sister loves these things." The brunette continued to make the disapproving face. Aric smiled.

"Okay, okay, I'll be serious, I promise." He glanced over the ledge.

"I have a grappling hook."

"That'll do." She pulled the gun from her belt loop and attached it firmly to a nearby tree. Aric stood next to her, probably too close. She could feel his body heat seeping into her, filling her with a sense of nervous hope. Mabel looped an arm around the taller guy's waist, then jumped into the abyss.


	16. Chapter 16

The crystalline room didn't glisten or sparkle like it had the last time Mabel was in there. Everything seemed dead. Lifeless. She looked at Aric as he inspected the room, his observant yellow eyes catching every last miniscule detail. Mabel cast her gaze over the room as well, unsure of what to look for. Her green haired friend seemed to zero in on something. She tapped his shoulder as he walked towards the throne. He made in inquisitive noise with his face.

"Hey, what are we looking for?" Aric pointed at the base of the throne, where a still puddle of water rested.

"That." He leaned over it. Mabel couldn't see anything but water. What could Aric need the tears of fate for? She crouched next to him, then opened her mouth again.

"What?" Her friend ignored her inquiry. She made a face, then an annoying noise. He smiled a little. So he was listening. Maybe he wasn't sure what to tell her. Suddenly, his whole arm was glowing orange and radiated heat like an active volcano. Mabel jumped backwards, a surprised shriek exiting her mouth as she scrambled away. The outline of his arm started to weave and wobble, like when heat rises off of the road at high noon. Her hazel eyes were glued to him even though she was started to see after images.

"Fuck, I meant to warn you. Sorry." He was sweating. She took another step back, trying to articulate words and totally failing. Aric pressed his hand into the puddle, immediately steaming the water away. The cavernous room felt like a sauna. Mabel took her sweater off, revealing her sweat-soaked purple T-shirt. Aric's tank top was also soaked, although it may have partially been the steam's fault. Her nose crinkled as an acrid stench filled the room.

"Did you light your hair on fire?" The glow from his magic was so bright that she literally couldn't see anything but the technicolor afterimages against her eyelids. She could hear him smiling through his voice, though.

"No, just this fancy pink rock. I'm looking for the heart of the labyrinth. Wait, that might have been it." There was a rustling sound, then the intensely bright light extinguished. Aric took a sharp inhale and dropped something.

"Fuck, I forgot my human skin doesn't like hot things, ow. Ow." Mabel opened her eyes, unable to see a single darn thing. Everything was pastelli yet black as night. It was an odd situation to be in. She tottered over towards her friend's tiny ouch noises.

"Aric, what the sugar cookie were you looking for?" A hand touched her elbow to steady her awkward shuffle. A stone was pressed into her hand, perfectly oval in every sense of the word. It was about the same size as her thumbnail. After her eyes adjusted to the lack of light, she saw that it was very teal in color. The same shade of aquamarine that Dipper's eyes had been glowing on T.V. It also reminded her of Gideon's amulet, which was a thing she didn't really care to remember.

"Did you just say sugar cookie instead of shit?" She blushed, closing her fist around the stone.

"Maybe."

"That was so fucking cute, oh my god." He still had a hold of her elbow. She tried to ignore her blush as she made a jab at him.

"This from the boy who sent me a text that literally only said 'sugar cube.'"

"We were talking about My Little Pony, that's so different!" She shoved her fist at his nose, laughter leaving her system as she remembered that her brother was in trouble. He caught it effortlessly.

"What did you need this thing for? How is this itty bitty rock going to stop Dipper from lighting the Northwest mansion on fire?" Aric took the stone, then removed one of his rings that was literally a plain gold band. She made a face as he mumbled some things to himself.

"Speak up." He jumped a little.

"Sorry, I'm getting tired. Did a lot more magic today than in the past few years combined." Mabel raised an eyebrow at him.

"I mean, I was saying that this is the heart of the labyrinth and thus has the power to stop the transformation. It just needs to be in contact with gold and your brother at the same time." He was swaying as he said the last part. Mabel stared at the ring and the stone, which were still not attached. She was a little concerned for her friend.

"Can you attach the rock to the thing?" He nodded in response.

"What are you waiting for?" He blinked as though he had seen something horrifying.

"What's his ring size?" Mabel threw her hands in the air.

"Does that really freaking matter right now? Just put the thing on the thing so we can go!" She was exasperated, frustration making her voice crack. Dipper's voice did the same thing, but he was typically always more high-strung so hers did it less often than her sibling's. Aric apologized, then let his arm become super heated again. Mabel shut her eyes before the most intense glow happened, then opened them again when he had stone was melded to the gold, the seam nearly invisible between the two. Aric looked positively pale. She grabbed his arm before he fell over, halfway hoisted him over her shoulders, then made the grappling hook pull them back out of the cave. The opening above them began to close as they ascended, but they made it out before everything was covered in dirt and grass. Aric seemed content to just lay down for a while, but Mabel had to save her brother before she could rest. The evening air chilled her arms, so she stuffed her sweater back on before making one last request of her green haired friend.

"Hey, Aric? I know you're super duper exhausted and magically depleted and all, but would you pretty please teleport me to my brother the way you teleported us here?" He took off one of his rings and held it up for her. She took it.

"Just twist it while you think of where you want to go. You have to be wearing it." The thing was probably eight sizes too big for even her thumb, but she did as she was told. Before she knew it, she was standing in front of Pacifica's house. Literally everything was on fire and she wasn't one hundred percent sure what to do. Well, the brunette supposed that there was really only one thing to do. She squared her shoulders, walked onto the property, and took a deep breath.

"DIPPERDOODLE, I WILL FIND YOU AND END YOUR REIGN OF TERROR!" She had to admit that it was about the coolest thing she could have said in that moment. Seeing her brother emerge from the mansion was a totally different story, though. His stony skin glowed orange from the flames inside the house while his eyes shone a bright aquamarine. She gripped the ring that contained the heart of the labyrinth and prayed that it would work.

"I beg to differ, sister dearest." She swallowed, mouth and throat suddenly too dry to function. Dipper took another step forward. Mabel stood her ground. She didn't want to fight her brother. Not like this. Mostly because he would probably win. All she had to do was put a ring on him. All the Single Ladies started playing in her head. She wanted to cry.

"Where's Pacifica?"


	17. Chapter 17

Pacifica stood on legs that shook more violently than any leaf being blown around in the wind. The thing in front of her certainly looked like Dipper, but it didn't sound like him nor did it act like him. Dipper wouldn't have injured people, especially not the innocent newscasters and townsfolk that had come to help out the wealthiest family in Gravity Falls. He wouldn't have even hurt her parents. Her heart beat fast, thrumming with adrenaline and fear. She ignored the icy pit of her stomach as she took another step towards the gargoyle, leaving Stanley's car behind her. The blonde put her hands out to the sides, palms out to show that she was unarmed.

"Dipper!" Calling that thing by his name felt wrong, but he responded.

"Pacifica!" He mocked her frightened tone. She set her eyebrows low over her eyes.

"What are you doing?" Her voice cracked. She hated being scared. The humanoid creature gestured towards the surrounding landscape, which was aflame in areas and totally unscathed in others. Her blue eyes followed the gesture, but she stayed still.

"Whatever does it look like I'm doing, darling?" She flinched at the pet name. He never called her that, and the air was so thick with sarcasm that she couldn't take it as anything other than the insult that it was. Dipper loved and respected her. She refused to believe that it was truly him doing this shit.

"It looks like you're making some really regrettable decisions, Dipstick." She borrowed Mabel's nickname for when he was being an idiot, which caused his forehead to wrinkle in distaste. He shot towards her, leaning in almost close enough to kiss. She stumbled backwards, trying to avoid the lip to lip contact. The rock creature caught her around the waist, dipping her low so she had no choice but to hold on to him for balance. Pacifica wanted to hit him, then was shot through with icy fear as she realized that she wanted to hurt him, not just be playful. God, she was so like her father.

"Let me go." The monster wearing Dipper's face borrows his confused expression as well.

"If you say so." He dropped her, chuckling as she made a scared noise. Her butt hit the ground harder than she thought would happen. The teen scrambled to her feet, trying to get away as the gargoyle moved even closer.

"I promise you I won't regret anything I do here tonight." She didn't like the way his eyes flashed an even brighter turquoise as he spoke. She especially didn't like that he looked her up and down like she was some sort of eye candy. Pacifica stood to her full height even though she was still dwarfed in comparison to Dipper's lankiness.

"Fat chance. This is my home, and I don't want you lighting it on fire." He tilted his head in confusion, clearly not understanding why she was saying what she was saying.

"They hurt you. Hit you. Threw you out when you ceased being useful. Why the fuck should you care what happens to them? Why do you still claim ownership of this space?" Her fists shook, the knuckles going white from how hard she was gripping her sweater sleeves.

"I know that they did all those things. Part of me even wants you to teach them a lesson. But I know that it would be wrong to just straight up murder them the way you're planning on doing." Her sky blue gaze met his glowing teal one in a battle of wills. She held her ground until he grabbed her chin and wrenched her face towards him. The teen made a few angry noises, but couldn't manage much else. He was so much taller than her, and if he grabbed a little lower she wouldn't have been breathing right then.

"I didn't want this for you, Pacifica." She frowned at him, confused.

"Didn't want what for me, Dipstick?" He gently shook her face, not causing damage or silencing her. Just to emphasize what he was about to say.

"I didn't want you to have the same fate as your parents. I can see now that my affection for you was in poor taste." It wasn't him saying that. Her heart felt like it was falling through her ribs to be crushed on the pavement. It couldn't have been him saying that. Tears overflowed, leaving mascara tracks down her face and impairing her vision. Dipper would never say that. Her fighting spirit was gone. The gargoyle rose a hand, and then all she saw was darkness.

* * *

The acrid stench of smoke made her lungs sputter and burn. She was too hot all over, and as her eyes opened, she realized why. The orange glow of flames illuminated the room from within and without. Pacifica winced, her arm stinging painfully. She glanced at it, about to cradle it to her chest which would have been a bad idea. Her sweater was on fire. The girl rolled around on the floor, trying to smother the flames. When they were out, she removed the garment and got a better look at her surroundings. The floor and walls were shredded, deep red stains covering every available unmarred surface. The iron tang in the air could have been blood or the fireplace tools that radiated heat. The fireplace rested against a flaming wall, literally. She kept close to the ground, pulling her T-shirt up to cover her nose and mouth. She groped around for the door, tested it with the back of her hand, and found that it was cool to the touch. She shoved against it, cursing because it locked from the outside and wouldn't open. She couldn't kick the thing open, it was too sturdy for that. She didn't have a screwdriver. Sweat beaded on her forehead and she started to get dizzy. Pacifica didn't have much time. She blindly grabbed around for her discarded sweater, then used it to grasp one of the iron tools by the fireplace. The heat shrivelled the hair on her arms and face. She squinted and pulled the metal away from the wall, cursing at how hot it was even through the thick yarn. She had grabbed the ash shovel.

She couldn't handle the heat for very long, so she worked as quickly as the lack of oxygen would let her. The teen ran towards the door, shoving the flattest point between the knob and the wall. The door hissed, and she screamed and strained her arms, trying to lever the door open. Her hands felt like they were on fire. Finally the heavy door swung open, throwing Pacifica backward a few feet. She dropped the iron shovel and sprinted out of the room, then closed the door behind her so that the hallway wouldn't get contaminated. The lights attached to the ceiling cast an aquamarine glow over everything in the hallway. The blonde looked behind her , noting that there were three doors in quick succession where she had thought there was only one. She was in a labyrinth based on her own home. Her heartbeat quickened. She had no way to track her progress, and no idea where the exit could be. Well, if she was in the hallway that she thought she was in then she had an idea of how to get out. But she couldn't be certain because it was a labyrinth. She took a few moments to breathe, then had a look at her arm. The flesh was pink in places and had bits of sweater melted to it in others. Bile rose in the back of her throat as she looked away, vowing to not glance towards it again until she was in an ambulance or something.

Pacifica walked down the hallway, turning left where she knew a secret passage was. She slid a painting aside, climbed into the crawl space, and made her way towards the exit that let out near the fountain on the front lawn. Once she smelled the fresh air, her heart lightened and she couldn't help but smile. She kicked the grate out, emerging next the the breathtaking fountain. It had once been a sculpture of one of her ancestors, now it was a pile of rubble with water leaking every which way. Part of her was glad to see the totem of lies and treachery gone, and the other part told her that she hadn't even tried to see if her parents were alive. She pushed the thought out of her head. She had to stop Dipper, not that it had gone well the first time she had tried. Her heart still stung at the things he had said to her, but she was more convinced than ever that the stone thing wasn't Dipper Pines. It had to be that loathsome creature from the woods. Surely it was just a spell or something that they could reverse.

Pacifica walked down towards the gate, seeing that he was talking to someone. Someone familiar. Oh shit it was Mabel. Her friend looked about ready to cry, but she stood in such a way that suggested she wouldn't back down. Dipper towered over her for the first time in his life. She hid behind a bush, grateful that it wasn't on fire. She wasn't sure how useful her burnt arm and hands would be, but she signaled Mabel until the girl slowly dipped her chin in a subtle nod. Pacifica wished she had a marker or something, their secret friend hand code was still in development. The blonde pointed at Dipper as he gesticulated wildly, his voice rising enough that she could hear him say that everyone in the mansion was dead or dying. She then punched her palm as gently and theatrically as she could and pointed to herself. Maybe she should have mimed those in a different order. Her brain couldn't think clearly after all of that smoke. Mabel slowly nodded again, then made a snappy retort at her brother that involved some complicated and creative swear words. Pacifica waited until Dipper lowered his wings enough that she could see his neck. She raced forward silently in her sneakers, then leapt as high as her tired legs would let her. Dipper made a surprised gasp as her elbow locked around his throat. She couldn't breathe as she dragged him backwards, contorting his spine in a way that surely hurt. His claws dug into her toasted flesh, and she screamed but didn't let go. Bright white lights danced behind her eyelids as he toppled to the ground, his back pressed against her chest. She could feel his throat and jaw struggling against her elbow, then more pressure crushed her small frame into the ground as Mabel joined the fray. Feet were flailing, there were too many hands everywhere.

"Just give me your damn finger you useless hunk of rock!" Pacifica tugged harder on her arm, ignoring the streaks of pain that were left by the motion. Why Mabel needed just one finger made no sense to the blonde. Dipper uttered a single strangled syllable, then white hot light flashed over the whole entrance area. Pacifica lost her grip, the weight of two bodies suddenly lifted from her diaphragm. The world spun around her, making her nauseous enough to actually throw up. She rolled over, coughing and wheezing through the whole process. Her side blazed with pain. She blinked as the white light dissipated into the regular sunset with interspersed flames from the mansion. Fire alarms were ringing in the distance, shortly followed by sirens even farther away. The blonde slowly dragged herself to an upright position, despite how much every single part of her body protested. Mabel had been thrown twenty feet away, presumably skidding across the asphalt and into the trees next to the road. She looked around at the wreckage, missing her boyfriend's prone form the first time she looked behind her. She caught sight of him as she backtracked, breath caught in her throat at the sight. He was covered in soot, body haphazardly thrown against a pile of gravel and rock. She struggled onto all fours, crawling towards him. His chest rose and fell, not very steadily but he appeared to be breathing all the same. A shiny gold band hung on the index finger of his left hand, the largest turquoise stone her sky blue eyes had ever seen was embedded in the metal.

She didn't want to fuck anything up, so she left him there to rest. Seeing color in his skin did wonders. Pacifica slowly climbed to her feet, a hand pressed against her side where stars of pain crisscrossed her ribs. Everything felt wrong. The skin was too sensitive and the structure under her skin rolled as she moved. It was probably not good to be moving as much as she was. She slowly trudged across the driveway and into the road anyway. Mabel was awake, trying to push herself into a sitting position as her friend wandered closer. The sirens were getting louder and louder.

"I think we did it." The brunette sounded so out of breath. Pacifica nodded dully, then sat down while making tiny pained noises as her bones did things that they really shouldn't have. Soon the place was crawling with emergency vehicles, and Grunkle Stan had arrived in the golf cart to make sure his kids, and herself, were okay. Pacifica smiled as the ambulance pulled away from the husk of a mansion. She let her heavy eyelids fall closed, and dreamt of absolutely nothing at all.


	18. Chapter 18

The first night in the hospital, Pacifica found out that she had two cracked ribs as well as first and second degree burns on her hands and arm. Mabel had a minor concussion, but didn't want to leave because Dipper had something wrong with him that had him staying the night. Their great uncle was staying as well. She could hear him arguing with the twins' parents on the phone in the hallway. She still didn't know if her parents were alive or not. The firefighters were still combing through the wreckage of the mansion and surrounding roadways. Her eyes wandered about the room, bored but not sleepy. The pain medication the doctor had prescribed kept her side from hurting too much. Footsteps shuffled around the hallway outside, and Stan's voice faded from her range. Someone else wandered down the hall, then paused outside of her door. Pacifica stared out the window. The trees swayed in the moonlight, getting pushed and shoved by a breeze that couldn't force it's way through the window. A quiet knock sounded against the door. The girl looked back towards the door, which was slowly being opened. A familiar head of brown frizzy hair poked through into her dimly lit room.

"Pacifica?" Dipper sounded like death. Her heart fluttered with relief about his status of being alive. Her forehead was wrinkled with worry about his tone of voice and droopy posture.

"Come on in, babe. What's up?" She was clearly out of breath, but he hopped inside and gently closed the door behind him. He stood awkwardly by the door, shoulders curled in and arms crossed over his stomach. Her worry increased. The blonde grabbed the bed remote and adjusted the mattress so that she could see more of the room. Dipper was looking at the floor.

"I wanted to apologize. To you."

Pacifica wished it was brighter in her room. She couldn't see his face, which was making it hard to focus on how he was feeling. If she had to venture a guess, the girl would think her boyfriend felt guilty about something. She supposed that made sense, but the blonde hadn't been able to say anything to him after he woke up. This conversation was the first time she had seen him since he went back to being human. Something gold flashed in the light from the hallway, and it took her a moment to recognize the ring that Mabel had stuffed onto his finger. Her mind snapped back to the conversation at hand. He was apologizing. Had she been quiet for too long?

"Okay." Fuck, she hadn't meant to say that. She weakly cleared her throat, "I mean, I don't get why, but okay." That wasn't much better, but the pain medicine was doing weird things to her brain. Dipper looked up, eyes glinting in the dim light.

"Pacifica, I murdered your parents." His voice cracked. Her chest felt entirely empty. Tears slowly rolled down her cheeks and stained the hospital sheets. She couldn't tear her gaze away from Dipper, who was shaking violently. Pacifica reached forward, fingers shaking at the attempt to call him over. He didn't see. She took a shaky breath.

"Dipper, come here." He shuffled forwards, bangs hanging in front of his eyes. She grabbed his hands once he was near enough. He stood awkwardly next to her bed, avoiding her gaze. She tugged him closer. What he said had sunk in, but only skin deep. She was more worried about him than herself. She could hear him sniffling as he shook in her light grip.

"Dipper, I haven't heard what happened after you ran away from the Mystery Shack, okay? Start there." She rubbed her thumbs gently over his knuckles as he tried to regulate his breathing. A few hiccups later, he seemed ready to start explaining.

"I went to the labyrinth. I don't know why, my feet just." He paused to collect his thoughts.

"And the gargoyle was there, saying things. It was so confusing, Pacifica, I didn't feel like myself after a while." He flinched as her thumb bumped his ring. She moved her hand so that she wouldn't bump it again.

"I couldn't look away from his eyes, and I just. Rage doesn't even begin to describe the feeling that coursed through my veins. I mean, I was mad at your parents before but-" A sob escaped his mouth and he hunched next to the bed. Pacifica held onto his hands, crying harder herself.

"And I went looking for them, all I could see were shades of red. And when I found them, everything just bubbled over. They had been driving-" He cut off, struggling to keep his breathing even. Pacifica couldn't think of what to say. She should have started hating him. She should have been angry. She should have let him go and told him to get out. Part of her wanted to do those things, the part that clung to her childhood and glorified her family name and felt like she was better than everyone else. The rest of her literally fell apart at his grief. He didn't choose to do those things. She knew in her heart that he would never willingly hurt someone. Maybe he would say something stupid without thinking, but he wouldn't physically harm anybody. The blonde released his hands and pressed her fingers against his wet cheeks. His hands gripped the thin blanket as she pulled his forehead to hers.

"Shh, it's okay."

He sobbed, "It's not okay! How can you even say that, they were your parents!" She felt more tears run over her fingers. Pacifica closed her eyes.

"Dipper Pines. You were not yourself when that happened."

"But I was there! I remember it all, the emotions and the anger and-"

"Maybe you remember doing those things but that was not you. From what I can tell, that gargoyle did something to you and you were under the influence of a magical being. That wasn't you. I'm not mad at you, and I'm not upset with you. You would never do that." She kissed his forehead to further ingrain her point.

"But I wanted to do those things. Pacifica, I tortured them." Her gut went cold, but she kept her hands where they were.

"Do you currently feel like if you could go back in time that you would do it again?" Her voice was soft, hinting more at worry than fear.

"No." He released his death grip on the sheets. Pacifica kissed his cheek, moving the free hand back to one of his.

"Look at me." She searched his face, noting that his irises pulsed a gentle turquoise glow along with his heartbeat. Almost like how a cat's eyes looked in the dark.

"We've both been through a lot. You're still distraught and I want to be here to support you. Currently, I think the best thing would be to sleep, okay? Don't think about what you did or what happened. Just don't." She saw his eyes glance down, away from her intense gaze. The teen waited for her boyfriend to meet her stare again before she continued, "Stay here tonight. With me."

He blushed, his already tear streaked skin picking up a deeper pink hue than before. Pacifica tugged him towards the bed, letting him have his hands so that he could situate himself. She gave him the blanket but kept the sheets. He curled up next to her, breathing too irregular for him to not be crying still. She patted his hair, running her delicate fingers through the rough tangles as gently as she could. The rhythmic motion seemed to soothe him, and before long he was snoring. She wondered what had happened that the doctors wanted him to stay overnight but not Mabel. She heard Grunkle Stan's footsteps not too long after, and pretended to be asleep when he poked his head in to check on her. He muttered something about warning the nurses, then left again. After a while, she closed her eyes and joined her boyfriend's slumber.

* * *

Dipper and Mabel were allowed to leave the next day, and Pacifica was certain that Stan drove them home. She got the official news about her parents bodies being found. A few hours later, she had seen lawyers and the last will and testament that her parents had left behind. By the time visiting hours were over, she was exhausted and her eyes burned from reading. She wasn't expecting Stan to poke his head in the door. She smiled gently and waved.

"Hey there, Pacifica. I saw you had a lot of visitors today, is everything alright?" The older man seemed genuinely concerned. Her heart swelled, happy that he existed.

"Thanks, Stan. I'm alright. My parents died in the fire, so I'm just dealing with all of the paperwork and stuff. The doctors want me to stay in bed while my ribs heal, so that's what I'm doing. It's not like I have a home to go back to anyway." She blinked a few times, trying to drown the excess emotion. Grunkle Stan moved to stand just inside the door, then shut it.

"Look, I know Dipper was in here last night. What did he tell you?" His hands were by his sides. She watched as his fingers nervously curled into fists and then flat. Dipper did that while he was nervous.

"He apologized to me for what he did. I tried to console him, but he didn't seem to cheer up much." She moved her gaze back up to his face. He seemed distracted. Worried.

"Did he… say anything about your parents?"

"Only that they were dead." She smoothed the sheets out over her knees, ignoring the pulling feeling near her broken ribs. Stan shuffled around a little, the hand nearest the door twitching towards the fake wood grain.

"Okay. Kid's been in rough shape. I'm worried about him." He grabbed the doorknob, "Pacifica?"

"Yes?" Her blue eyes caught the worried look on his face before he banished it with an awkward smile.

"Let me know if you need anything, okay?" She nodded and said goodbye as he left the room. A few seconds later, a nurse came in to adjust her medicine and make sure that she was comfortable. The next few weeks went by in a blur of visitors and paperwork and nurses. Pacifica was doing physical therapy with a few doctors, and in a few short weeks, she would be receiving most of her inheritance. Some taxes had to be deducted, and other funds were to be left in bank accounts specifically for education and business investment purposes, but it was still a large amount coming her way. One day, after she had sent the lawyer out of her room, Mabel poked her head in.

"Hey, Ciffy! Are you all done with important stuff?" The brunette's hair sparkled in the fluorescent light. Pacifica also saw that her friend was wearing nicer clothes.

"I mean, unless you're bringing more important stuff, then I'm all done." The blonde smiled as her friend ducked out of the room, glittery nail tipped fingers holding onto the door frame as she called down the hallway for her brother and great uncle. Pacifica nearly died from happiness as they walked in. Dipper was wearing nice slacks and a button down shirt that matched the gem on his ring. Stan was wearing his usual suit, but he was carrying the largest homemade cake Pacifica had ever seen. It was frosted in bright colors and edible glitter. Candles of varying colors and sizes stuck out the top. Bright blue icing said, "Happy Birthday, Pacifica! We Love You!" Mabel counted off, and the three of them started to sing happy birthday. The blonde being celebrated struggled to not cry. She had never been sung to in such a private setting. Once the singing was over, they all pretended that she blew out the unlit candles and started to serve the chocolate behemoth. It was the best cake that she had ever eaten, but Dipper still looked so upset. The blonde shoved a forkful of cake into her mouth. He was fidgeting with his ring, noticing that he was fidgeting with it, and dropping his hands to his sides in an endless cycle of discomfort. When they finished eating, a quiet knock sounded on the door. Mabel rushed over, exclaiming something about more party guests. A tall, intimidating, tattooed boy asked if he could talk to Dipper. Her boyfriend wandered to the door, which closed as they stood outside, murmuring. Pacifica stared at Mabel, who nodded and stuck her ear to the door and relayed what they were talking about.


	19. Chapter 19

Aric stood by a bench, eyes shooting around the sterile white hallway. He hated hospitals. He ran a hand through his hair, nervous about talking to this gargoyle- kid- for the first time. He didn't want to make a bad impression, but couldn't shake the feeling that he had already fucked up. His hands resorted to nervously spinning his rings and bracelets around his fingers and wrist. The brunette who looked nearly exactly like Mabel but shorter gently closed the door behind him as he stepped out of the room. He looked scared and angry. The green haired elemental decided to start off with an apology.

"Look, I'm sorry for interrupting the birthday, that was not my intention."

Dipper stared soullessly back at him, then took a deep breath and let the air whoosh away. Aric took that to mean, 'please continue.'

"What I did to turn you back human is by no means permanent. For it to work, you cannot remove that ring." Aric's voice sounded more harsh than he intended. The other boy stared at the floor.

"The paramedics took it off in the ambulance and my eyes won't stop being blue." The kid seemed distraught. The elemental wanted to offer some sort of reassuring gesture, but didn't know any that were appropriate for how little they knew each other.

"Look, that's fine as long as you still feel like yourself. It'll be a tedious thing to be aware of at all times, but you just have to do it. I know that you can. But listen, you're not entirely human anymore. That ring will run out of juice one day, probably after a normal human would be dead and gone. And you'll be a gargoyle again. I don't think that there's anything I can do to stop that. What you need to do is focus on living like a human while you can. Enjoy your life. Do what you want to do. It may sound pretty damn stupid hearing that from a stranger who can appear human as much as he pleases, and you don't have to take my advice, but you have people who care about you more than anything. Cherish them while they're still here." Aric took a deep breath after that well intentioned but probably not well taken monologue. The boy he was talking to was glaring off into space with eyes that were unnaturally blue.

"I'll keep looking for ways to keep you feeling like yourself, if that's even possible at this point. Does the ring fit okay? Do you need me to adjust it really quick?" The green haired elemental had barely recovered from when he had made the ring, but his focus was on Dipper's comfort and humanity and not on his own well being.

"No, it's fine…" The brunette's hand went to the ring on his index finger, rubbing over the oval stone once before leaving it alone. It shone in the hall light.

"So you're the weird guy that Mabel met at the Mystery Shack." The boy's tone sounded disapproving but resigned.

"Sure am." Aric ignored the awkward butterflies behind his heart at the mention of Mabel's name. He wasn't sure that the girl's twin was going to be okay with them hanging out and chatting all the time. The elemental did enjoy her strange Snapchat photos and videos, though. And her cheesy puns, and the way her cheeks glowed when she smiled. The fact that he was hundreds of years old and also a magical being kind of doused that friendly candle of fun filled emotion almost immediately after it began.

"Well, as long as you aren't a serial killer I guess I'll stay out of your hair. Let me know if you find anything that can negate the whole gargoyle thing." And with that, the brunette was backing towards his girlfriend's room. Aric couldn't blame him.

"Sure thing, Dipper. You can call me Aric, by the way."

"Bye, Aric." And with that, Dipper was back inside Pacifica's hospital room with the door gently clicking shut. The green haired man turned away from the room, only to hear the door open again. He whirled around to see Mabel, just the person he wanted to see and keep as far away as possible at the same time. His heart did some acrobatics while his lungs struggled to keep up.

"Aric, was what you said true? About Dipper maybe living forever?" Her eyebrows were pinched together in the center of her face, concern in every adorable wrinkle. He didn't want to make her more worried, but he also had an aversion to lying.

"I mean, as long as he isn't mortally wounded, then yes. He'll be around for a while. I don't know exactly how long that ring will last, though."

She nodded, "Are you going to keep in touch with me?" Her left foot shuffled until it was tucked behind her right shoe. Her heel bobbed back and forth to some unheard tune.

"Yeah, I've always got my phone. Just let me know if I've been too distant again." He offered a nervous chuckle, which made her giggle. He grinned and reached a hand out towards her. She took the offered appendage and made silly noises as he shook her hand.

"I'll talk to you soon, Mabel." He slowly let go of her hand as her happy grin melded into a happy blush.

"Thanks!"

"Eat some extra slices of cake for me!" He waved as he began walking down the hallway towards the elevator. After a brief pause, he glanced back in her direction in time to see her spin towards the door and enter the small room. When he was well and truly alone, he tried to see past the hopelessness of Dipper's permanent transformation.

* * *

A few days after her birthday, Pacifica was released as an outpatient who had to go in for X-Rays in two short weeks. Her ribs only hurt badly on days where she moved around and talked more often, and even then some Ibuprofen usually calmed them down. Stan had extended a longer term invitation to stay with him and the twins, which she graciously accepted. Mabel had jumped up and down for joy while Dipper avoided direct contact and conversation with the blonde. The teen missed the kisses and hugs that they used to share without a second's guess. Now she wondered if he was still blaming himself for her parent's deaths. She was saddened by their loss, mostly because they had never been given a real chance to redeem themselves before they were never to be seen again. But she was holding up okay, especially since her eighteenth birthday had passed by. She was in charge of her fortune and her life and she didn't want to trade that for the world.

So, she continued sharing a room with Mabel as she oversaw the reconstruction of the Northwest Manor. Instead of being a colossal building, though, she made sure that it read more like a comfortable house. And, in her free time, she looked for Dipper. Her boyfriend was nowhere, avoiding her and food and basically everything. She used to put out breakfast and dinner for him, but the plates went untouched despite her constant reminders that food was good for a person.

It was literally just her and Dipper in the house one day, and despite having been sitting outside the hallway bathroom for four hours, she had seen neither hide nor tail of her boyfriend. The radio and physical silence was really starting to feel more like a fight than him adjusting to life. The blonde was really worried. She stood up from her crouching position, stretching her legs without further injuring her slowly healing ribs. Her fist hovered over the door, prepared to knock but unsure of what to say after the door was opened. If he was mad at her, was it really best to talk to him? Was he avoiding her because of the parental unit thing? Was he still being super angsty? She wanted to know, and yet, her hand never hit the door. The blonde was about to give up when the door swung inwards and a dishevelled Dipper paused in his tracks, a concerned look on his face.

"Hi, Dipper!" Pacifica tried to sound more excited than she was. The brunette tried to abscond quickly, but her hand was in the way. The blonde spoke up again.

"I, um, I noticed that you haven't been out and about lately. I'm kind of worried about you. Do you need to talk about anything?" Her blue eyes caught his aquamarine ones while they were trying to look at everything in the hallway except for her. She missed the hazel that they used to be, but there wasn't much that they could do about that.

"I mean, You don't have to talk if you don't want to. I just miss you. We've been living in the same house for a while now and I think I've only laid eyes on you once before now."

Dipper sighed, "Are you certain that you want to talk to me after everything that happened?"

Pacifica blinked, then fidgeted with her hands a little. She definitely wanted to talk to him, but now she wasn't sure if he wanted to talk to her. She did corner him in order to have this conversation. Which, now that she thought about it, was very similar to what he did at work the last time they had fought. She cleared her throat, making Dipper flinch from the sudden noise.

"Sorry, I just. I want to talk to you, I just don't know if you want to talk to me." She glanced at the floor, then back up to his face. He had bags under his eyes that she had thought were just intense shadows earlier. Glowing irises did weird things to shadows on the face. Dipper seemed to be struggling with what to say next. The sinking feeling in the blonde's stomach went from being quicksand paced to being lead brick velocity.

"I don't think that it's safe to be around me." The pain on his face as he spoke nearly made her cry. The feeling in her stomach was akin to missing a step while descending a staircase.

"But you have the ring Aric made." She had been talking with Mabel a lot more, and since she was their sole connection to the being who had made Dipper's cure, she seemed to know a lot. The ring would work for a little more than a human lifetime. The ring only worked if it was on his finger. It could not be removed, because each time Dipper turned into a gargoyle it was harder and harder for him to turn back human. Mabel had said that Dipper knew these things.

"It's just a ring, Pacifica. What if it falls off somewhere? You said it yourself, I'm not me when I'm not wearing this thing."

"But you are wearing it. And Aric can size it if you need him to. He's said so every time he sees you."

"What does Aric know? He's not an expert on gargoyles. He's an expert on making jewelry!"

Pacifica tried not to flinch at Dipper's sudden volume. His eyes were really glowing, casting strong turquoise light over his cheeks and probably her face as well. She took a deep breath, trying to calm her panicked mind. She was human still, she couldn't even hope to understand how he felt or what he was going through.

"I'm sorry." He somehow sounded more upset than when he had been yelling. He had a hand in one of his pockets, and the other was going from being a fist to being an open hand. It was a nervous habit that somehow made her feel better. If he was still doing that, then he had to mostly be himself still. She reached for the free hand, tapping her fingers against his skin to let him know what she was doing before wiggling the digits invitingly. He took her smaller hand in his, and immediately began rubbing little circles across her knuckles with his thumb. Maybe that habit had been picked up to soothe himself more than others. She didn't really care beyond the fact that he was finally touching her again.

"It's okay, Dipper. Look, you still do all these little things from when you were human. When you stop acting and sounding like yourself, I'll let you know. Until then, we can still work around the ring thing. You're still you, right now. I think we should spend that time together." She took first one step, then two closer to the brunette. He didn't budge from where he was leaning against the doorframe. She took another half-step closer, her body scant millimeters away from his, and tilted her face up towards his. His eyes had calmed down considerably, the aquamarine color no longer lighting up the hallway. Pacifica stared at him, seeing him close up for the first time since that night in the hospital. Overall, he just seemed high strung and tired. He sighed, then gently lowered his forehead until it brushed against hers. Her bangs had grown out long enough to tuck behind her ears. She sort of liked not having the extra fringe between her skin and his.

"I just don't want to hurt you again." His other hand brushed against the bandages on her arm, too light to cause further injury. She rubbed their noses together, eliciting a small chuckle from the taller boy.

"I don't think that you will."

Dipper didn't look too convinced. The blonde tilted her chin up, pressing their lips together gently. The brunette jumped a little, bumping their noses together, then settled into the kiss. Tension drained out of his body as his free hand gently traced up her arm and cupped her jaw. He pulled away too soon, a serious stare boring into her soul.

"Pacifica." His grip tightened around her hand.

"What?" She squeezed his fingers three times, one for each word that she didn't say out loud. He smiled, wrinkles creasing around the corners of his eyes.

"I love you, too." She grinned, then kissed him again.


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Hey everyone! I hope you don't mind the insane amount of updating I've been doing! I'm having a grand old time writing and avoiding my homework. I just wanted to thank you all again for reading this story and leaving reviews! I'm trying to improve my writing and have fun here, and I live for feedback. Thanks again, and please enjoy!

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Mabel came home from a friend's house with two extra friends on her arms. Pacifica had been looking over her bank report with a calculator and a magnifying glass. She had been trying to figure out how much to anonymously donate when the front door had swung open, crashed against the wall, and admitted the three best friends into the house. The blonde hadn't hung out with Candy and Grenda, like, ever. But she recognized them. Candy was still super petite, but she walked with a grace that imitated models on the runway. Pacifica was a little intimidated by the girl. Then there was Grenda. The auburn haired girl had grown taller and a little leaner, baby fat replaced by muscles so defined that the Mona Lisa would have faded into mist on the spot. Her deep voice had stayed similar to when she was thirteen, but was a little smoother around the edges. Pacifica felt incredibly short. And fragile. And also more than a little surprised because Mabel hadn't said anything about bringing friends over. From the looks of the bags that Grenda and Candy carried, it was to be an extended visit as well. She shot a glance at Mabel that said, "what the fuck?"

"Okay girls, you know where my room is! Make yourselves comfy on the floor. I'll bring Pacifica up with me in a minute or two!" Grenda and Candy giggled the whole way up the stairs. Pacifica watched them leave, then turned towards Mabel, eyes as big as dinner plates.

"What the fuck?"

"You implied that already." The brunette shuffled closer, arms hanging awkwardly by her sides. Pacifica couldn't even muster the energy to be angry. She was just so blindsided by the whole thing.

"But you haven't offered an explanation yet, so I'm compelled to keep asking. Mabel, you didn't warn me! After I was so awful to them, how can you expect me to sit in a room with them and sleep? Grenda could kill me with a pinky finger!" She tried to keep her voice quiet, but distress distorted her whisper into a shrill tenor. Mabel gently patted her shoulders, then stared firmly into her friend's eyes.

"Pacifica. That was years and years ago. You're the one who's been avoiding them. In fact, I literally couldn't keep them away once they found out that you were living here, so I figured the best I could do was make them feel welcome. I'm sorry I didn't tell you, but the decision was literally made three minutes ago. They just want to get to know you. So please, come upstairs, drink some soda, and play some games with us. Pretty please?" Mabel's hazel eyes shined in the yellow light that cascaded from the ceiling. The blonde couldn't say no to such a pleading face. She sighed.

"Okay, fine, but if things get awkward I'm leaving."

Mabel seemed okay with that, if her sudden motion was any sort of indicator. She grabbed her friend's uninjured arm, and trotted up the stairs. Pacifica struggled to keep up. The blonde was so out of shape. She paused as Mabel slammed her bedroom door open and announced that Pacifica the Magnificent had arrived. The blonde quietly stepped into the room, a deep blush dusting her cheeks. Her heart pounded. Her hands shook. She was out of breath.

Grenda was the first to speak, "Hi, Pacifica! I haven't seen you in years, what have you been up to?" The muscular girl waved wildly from her pile of blankets on the floorboards. Candy was sitting cross legged, staring quietly. Pacifica took a deep breath.

"I've been, um, reflecting on my past behaviors and trying to not be an asshole. Let me know if I fuck up."

Candy smiled, "Don't worry, Pacifica. Mabel says you've been a lot nicer than five years ago. Honestly, ever since that party, Grenda and I have wanted to try being your friends. So, let's start now! What game or activity do you want to play?" The black haired girl gestured towards some board games and cards and a notebook that were scattered over the blankets on the floor. Mabel plopped down and inspected the options as Pacifica looked for a free spot on the floor. The blonde looked over her options. She immediately ruled out the notebook, because the only thing she could see on the cover were stickers and thin black marks that spelled out 'Truth or Dare.' She chose a board game.

"Yeah, Pacifica! The Game of Life is always so unpredictable!" Grenda waved her arms in the air as she spoke, and Candy and Mabel set up the game. They had edited some of the cards over the years, so there were some Life tokens that just said, "YOU ARE THE CAT'S MEOW!" that were worth a thousand points, but other than that the game went pretty normally. Pacifica chose to go to college, but then lost all of her money on fees and awful event squares. Grenda made the most money because she didn't have any children the whole game. Candy had the most children and kept joking about cloning herself. Mabel got married, had two point five children, and retired in luxury. Pacifica was laughing and having a grand time by the time they had counted all the money out. She had never realized that Candy and Grenda were so fun to hang out with. It made her regret that she hadn't chosen to make amends with them sooner. The next game was up to Candy to decide. She chose poker. Mabel shot out of the room to grab the snacks as Grenda explained the house rules. Pacifica had never played before. Her parents had never approved of gambling. They saw it as a surefire way to lose the whole fortune, and the blonde had never really been interested. They were only using popcorn and twizzlers as ante, so she wasn't too worried about losing real money.

Mabel came back with Dipper, who said he was bored of reading alone in his room. They dealt him in, and the race to win all the snacks began. Pacifica had great luck with the cards, but she sucked at remembering which cards were worth more. Candy was a card counter, and always knew what was in everybody's hands. Grenda lost almost every hand and dramatically exclaimed that her fortune from the previous game was lost forever. Dipper lost whenever Grenda didn't, which wasn't often. Mabel raked in the cash, tipping her little green visor every time she popped more snacks into her mouth. Dipper seemed excited about the game, which was a nice turn of events from the past few weeks. She had gotten so used to seeing him be sad that the small smiles he flashed were like the first rains after a drought. Pacifica felt her face flush with happiness.

Then it was Grenda's turn to choose a game. Pacifica had totally forgotten about the notebook until the auburn haired girl's hands dragged it out of the pile and held it aloft. Dipper tried to escape, but was tugged back into the circle by a belt loop that his sister had grabbed.

"You can't leave now, Dipperdoodle! You know the rules. You can't leave until after you pick a game."

Pacifica raised her hand, "Um, I've picked a game, can I leave?"

Mabel snorted, "No, you're a member of the party! You have to play. Dipper's a boy, so his rules are a little different."

The blonde sighed, then looked at Grenda. Grenda held a pencil to her chin, notebook open to a fresh page.

"So, guys, who's going first?" She tapped the notebook with a strong finger. Pacifica gulped. Dipper rolled his eyes, "Fine, I'll go first. Dare." Grenda scribbled something into the notebook, then looked at Pacifica.

"Are your ribs still too hurt for rough things?"

The blonde nearly choked on her own saliva, "I'm. What? Excuse me?"

Grenda laughed, "Mabel said that you broke them, I'm just wondering if it's okay to dare Dipper to sit on your lap until his next turn."

Pacifica felt her cheeks get super hot. They had held hands and kissed in public before, but in such an enclosed space with people who intimidated her? She flicked her blue eyes over to Dipper to gauge his reaction. His eyes were glowing pretty fiercely, and his cheeks and nose were about as red as hers. She did an internal check on her ribs, finding that they were holding up okay from her strenuous day of sitting and reading reports on the couch. She stammered a bit, losing control of her tongue because of how nervous she was.

"Yeah, the ribs are, um, I'm fine. I'm god. Good. To go. Yup." She was so very eloquent. Grenda grinned.

"Well, Dipper, you heard the dare. Go sit on your girlfriend's lap until your next turn!" She stared at him until he slowly stood up and crossed the circle to were Pacifica was sitting. After she rearranged her lap so that he couldn't hurt her ribs or fall off, he sat down. The blonde had not known how bony his ass was or she would have declined to be involved with the dare. It was too late, though, so she just sat with her steaming face resting on his shoulder. His spine was ramrod straight, expressing better than any words how awkward he felt. Candy giggled. Grenda declared that Mabel was next. Pacifica barely paid attention as Mabel was dared to balance three balls of yarn on her head until her next turn. Candy chose truth, and was promptly asked if she had ever kissed more than one boy at once. The black haired girl had blushed furiously and nodded. Mabel screamed, dropping her yarn all over the floor. Dipper flinched at the noise, throwing Pacifica off balance. Grenda just grinned like a serial killer about to fell another victim.

"Candy, who? WHO?" Mabel had literally zero volume control, her already screechy voice raising to a full scream.

Candy shook her head, "That was not part of my truth. I was only asked if I had, and I answered truthfully."

Mabel screeched as she collected her yarn and tried to balance it again, "I can't BELIEVE you didn't tell me! Ah, I have to know more. I gotta."

Grenda gave candy the notebook, and with that it was Candy's turn to dish out truths and dares. She started with Grenda, who chose a dare. Candy tapped the pencil's eraser against her chin before gasping.

"Grenda, I dare you to stand on one foot until your next turn!"

Grenda quickly did so, and then it was Dipper's turn again. He stood up as he said truth. Pacifica rubbed her legs until the blood flowed again. Candy scribbled something down, then looked straight at Dipper.

"What was the worst dream you've had lately?" He visibly flinched, and Mabel's eyes shot over to her sibling. Pacifica wanted to tell Candy that that might have not been the most tasteful thing to ask, but Mabel shook her hand subtly. The brunette hadn't told her friends about what happened? Then what had she told them? The blonde stared at Dipper as he wiped his sweaty palms on his jeans. Her eyes were glued to the ring that bound him to his human form.

"Well, um, I was walking down the road from here towards town. Everything was in black and white," He sat down, looking ten times more uncomfortable than when he was sitting on Pacifica's lap. She stared at the floor, counting how many rings were in a particular knothole.

"Then, the colors faded into existence, but mostly oranges and yellows. The sky became electric blue, too bright to look at. Everything was too hot. Dead bodies littered the ground, you literally couldn't walk without-" He rubbed his face, eyes flashing aquamarine under the fleeting shadow of his palm.

"Tripping or stepping. On them. The bodies. And then I woke up."

Candy set down the notebook, "Dipper, that was super intense. I'm sorry I asked. Are you okay?"

He shrugged, "It was just a dream, right? No biggie. I think you skipped Pacifica, though."

Candy checked the notebook, then said something that the blonde didn't catch. She thought it was a swear.

"You're right! Pacifica, you should have said something!"

Pacifica shrugged, "I'll just choose truth."

Candy looked at Grenda. Grenda rubbed her chin, thinking of what to ask. Candy stared at the notebook, then flipped through to some of the older pages. Grenda looked over the dark haired girl's shoulder as she flipped through the notebook.

"Pacifica, I am not sure what to ask you."

The blonde flicked her eyes towards Dipper, then to her own knees. She had no idea what she was getting into. She had never played this game before.

"Whatever is fine, I guess."

Candy snapped her fingers, "I know! Who started the Northwest Mansion fire a few weeks ago? Nobody seems to know, and I am curious!"

Pacifica blanched, all of the color ruching from her face into the void that was her stomach. Mabel stepped in, "Guys, she was in the mansion when it went up. A little tact, please?"

Candy and Grenda apologized. Pacifica wasn't sure what to do. Mabel dropped the yarn, "How about a different game? I believe it's Dipper's turn." Dipper chose another card game, then left as soon as he won. Pacifica wished that she could join him. Mabel chose the next game, but Pacifica wasn't sure if karaoke counted as a game, per se. Singing and dancing with her new friends reminded the blonde of when she had first met Mabel. And how horrible she had been. When it was her turn to pick a song, she specifically chose one that they would all have to sing for. It was a throwback to the boy band they had all liked when they were younger. She smiled as the girls all picked up their microphones and started screaming and singing along with the words. Mabel was bouncing on the bed, her brown hair flowing in the air. Grenda and Candy were doing some sort of waltz. Pacifica grinned, then spun around and picked up the lead vocals. Despite how weird the rest of the evening had been, she loved singing. She lost herself in the words and the emotions, losing herself in the fun.


	21. Chapter 21

He had claws again, and skin like marble. He was invincible. The stone creature soared through the air on wings that should have been too heavy to keep him aloft. He was looking for something- no, someone. Two someones. Heavy lids lifted, using the turquoise light emanating from his irises to identify the world around him. Trees and flames shifted just on top of the world, and cars screamed down the road, one after another after another. The bright lights and contorted metal shapes made his head sore. Perhaps when the brunette found his targets he could eliminate all of the eyesores left in the world. There, a vehicle that pinged on his radar. He dropped from the sky, descending upon the vehicle in a flash of heat and fire. Tires screeched. Glass shattered. He cast his teal gaze over the wreckage, finding Preston Northwest almost immediately. Dipper would save him for later. He kept searching, finding Priscilla moments later. Nausea gripped the gargoyle's stomach, unwelcome and unwarranted. He hadn't even begun his revenge- the thought was cut off by the whole world disappearing. He was human, floating in a sea of red and a coppery taste permeating his mouth.

"Hello?" He called into the void. The boy's voice was swallowed by the crimson mists. He floated forward, fear making him sweat and subdued anger slowly bubbling against his gut. Something grabbed his ankle, dragging him through the hazy landscape. He couldn't breathe. Every time he opened his mouth all he could taste was metal. The red turned into black, and he was released from the vise like grip that had carried him all the way down. Dipper wiped his shaky hands on his jeans, then was jerkily dragged around to face Preston Northwest's corpse. He tried to scream, tried to close his eyes. He couldn't face what he had done. Another hand spun him around, tears floating in the air around his head as he saw Priscilla's ruined face. He looked down, desperately trying to stop the tears that flowed. His hands were red. Dripping. His index finger burned, a ring of fire around the first knuckle.

" _Remove the ring, Dipper Pines. See yourself as you truly are."_ He scrabbled for his finger at the request of the voices around him. Pacifica's parents inched closer and closer, trying to grab his arms and hair. Red eyes shone next to him, another gargoyle lounging on it's throne. Preston and Priscilla disappeared in two red puffs of smoke. His finger still burned where the ring touched his skin. The brunette couldn't look away from the creature that had turned him.

" _I gave you two jobs and you managed to fuck up both of them. Good going."_ Dipper tried to back away, but the earth had swallowed his feet. A small voice sounded in the distance. He shook his head, trying to discern the words that slowly grew in volume but not in clarity.

" _I see that you're resisting your powers. They will not lie dormant for very long, boy. Avoid them while you can."_ The beast leapt off the throne, splashing water over everything except the boy who was stuck in a pile of dirt up to his waist. Icy fingers of fear wrapped around his throat, keeping him from asking questions. The voices were deafening. The dirt rose to his neck. He couldn't move as the other gargoyle leaned in close.

" _Avoid everything while you can."_ Moments later, he was totally underground. And then he was flailing off the bed, arms and legs entangled in blankets and a loud noise rang in his ears. The loud noise sounded familiar. Once he shut his mouth, Dipper realized that he had been the one making the commotion. He was sweaty all over, and cold from the night air. Goosebumps rose over his exposed flesh. The teen rubbed his arms, trying to warm up and give himself time to calm down.

"Dipper?"

He nearly jumped three feet in the air at the unexpected yet familiar voice. He turned, seeing first Priscilla's face and then his girlfriend's in the doorframe. He chose to try regulating his breathing instead of screaming. The blonde looked scared and worried. He sighed.

"Hey, Pacifica. I didn't wake you, did I?"

She shook her head, "No, Candy snores. I haven't even been to sleep yet, to be honest." She paused, concern filling her baby blue eyes. Dipper sat on the bed and went back to staring at the floorboards.

"Dipper?"

He chewed his lip. "Yeah?"

"Do you need to talk about anything?"

He couldn't look at her, though he knew exactly what her facial features were doing. Whenever she worried about him, her eyebrows would pinch upwards and her mouth would press into a worried frown. He could hear it in her voice. The brunette rubbed his forehead, not quite sure what to say. _Sorry I straight up murdered your douchey parents in a fit of rage_ just sounded awful in his head. He let out a great puff of air instead.

"Pacifica, I don't even know where to start. I'm at war with myself. I want to just forget it ever happened, but I can't stop thinking about it and remembering." He heard the blonde step into the room, then her movements were silenced by the carpet. He checked his index finger to make sure that the ring binding his human form was still there. One of Pacifica's hands found his and their fingers intertwined. Her skin pressed against the turquoise stone. He tried and failed to keep the instantaneous fear from rising into his throat. The room was bathed in the blue light that meant his eyes were glowing. Questions raced around his mind like a giant whirlpool. What if the stone broke off? What if the stone didn't really do anything and he wound up hurting Pacifica? What if it legit worked but for some reason stopped and he turned into a gargoyle again? What if he-

"You don't have to be scared." Pacifica's voice was smooth despite her concern. Her breathing was deep and even, alerting the boy to how quickly his lungs were inflating and deflating. He slowed down, matching his girlfriend's calming rhythm. He felt the panic dissipate, but remained highly aware of the metal band her hand rested against.

"You don't know that." Why did he say that? He should have just stayed quiet. His palm was getting sweaty, but he didn't want to push Pacifica away. She sighed.

"You never used to be this pessimistic."

"I also didn't used to be a gargoyle." Fuck, he did it again. Was he turning or was he just tired from that nightmare? He wanted to slam his head into a wall until he didn't have to think anymore. Instead, he apologized. Pacifica offered him a small smile in response.

"No, I get it. Things are changing all over the place right now. I just want you to be happy. Not that you have to be. Ugh, I don't know what to say either, to be honest." She pressed her free hand to her cheek, balancing the attached elbow on her knee as she sat down by his feet. He rearranged their mingling hands so that he could run his thumb over her knuckles. Now that he wasn't panicking, he was actually enjoying spending time with her again. He promised himself that he would stop holing up in his room. Not that he would be attending more of Mabel's parties any time soon, but he couldn't expect to get over everything by sitting in his messy room and dwelling on it.

"No, you're helping, really." He even smiled to show it. Pacifica smirked through her fingers.

"I hope you aren't just saying that."

He squeezed her hand three times. "Of course not."

She giggled a little, the chime like noise making his heart melt. Then she yawned so big he could hear her jaw crack. The blonde's eyes flew open and her hand covered her mouth. He laughed.

"Here, take my bed. I can't sleep right now so I'm going to do some digital photo stuff." Dipper climbed out of bed, despite her protests. He kissed the top of her head, then went over to his laptop and jiggled the wireless mouse to wake it up. By the time Photoshop had started running, his girlfriend was totally asleep.


	22. Chapter 22

Aric paced back and forth in the studio area of his cave. He ignored his phone as it buzzed for the eightieth time in the past five minutes. Bits of gold and pieces of gems littered the walls and floor, while chains and glass beads hung from small hooks near a folding table that was making an astonishing impression of a work desk. The rich mess perfectly reflected the jumbled mess of emotions that his brain and heart were working together to make even more chaotic. He had asked almost every relevant person that he knew about Dipper's transformation and had gotten nothing that he didn't already know. The ring was temporary. A new labyrinth would emerge as soon as the old stone lost it's power. Dipper had transformed in anger and thus would need to be eliminated lest he injure others during his time as a gargoyle. Well, aside from Pacifica Northwest's parental units, who were already pretty darn dead. His phone rang, meaning that someone was calling him. The sinking feeling in his chest said that it was his sister. The green haired elemental scooped up the technology and glanced at the incoming number.

Of course it was his sister. Again. He swiped to answer, "Kathrynne, don't you have anything better to do than tell me that you haven't learned anything new?"

"Dad escaped from that weird supernatural jail. I don't know, part of me thought it was urgent, and the other part said, 'nah, he doesn't need to know.'" Her voice dripped with sarcasm, leaking into his ear from the East coast. He sighed, running a hand through his wavy hair.

"Do you think he knows where I am?" As much as he feared for his own safety, Dipper's came first. There had to be a way to keep him from going full gargoyle. Aric wasn't about to murder someone because they had anger management issues. The irony of that thought hit him full force as he realized that he had wanted to kill his dad for basically that same reason. His wandering fingers tugged on an eyebrow piercing. He was an amorphous blob of hypocrisy. Majestic.

"Dude, he doesn't even know where I am and I've been living in New York for, like, fifty years." The question of safety resolved, Aric went back to worrying about Dipper. The green haired man had only ever fought one other gargoyle, and it had been the closest match he'd ever been involved in.

"Hey, you're muttering about Dipper Pines again. Why the fuck are you so interested in him? I mean, aside from your orientation. I didn't think you were into such younglings, though." She was teasing him. He knew she was joking. A single flame of anger licked across his brain anyway.

"Like you're one to talk, Madame Succubus."

She gasped, "Excuse the shit outta you, Monsieur Killjoy. What I do to stay alive has nothing to do with you."

Aric was tempted to hang up. She always went off on weird tangents and he didn't really want to deal with it right then. He sighed, "Dipper's just an acquaintance. Don't make me feel more gross about myself than I already do."

She pursed her lips, a familiar noise that he was annoyed at being able to identify over the phone, "Hey, spud. You know I ain't actually judgin' you. Dad did that plenty. I really do want to help."

The green haired earth elemental felt like he should have been a being made of wind for all the sighing he was doing during that conversation. He sighed once more.

"I appreciate it, Kathrynne, I really do, but you wouldn't stand much of a chance against this sort of thing and you don't have any information for me on the topic of interest, so please just leave me be unless you find anything out." He held his breath. He really did care about his sister, but they just didn't get along. She handled her life in an entirely different way than he did, and putting them in the same room was like trying to move two blocks of sandpaper together in opposite directions. It was a painful, gritty process that he never seemed to have the energy for.

"I got you, Aric. Take care, okay?" She sounded genuinely concerned. Aric made some sort of noncommittal confirmation, then hung up. He glanced at the screen, realizing that Mabel had been the one messaging him so much. He scrolled through her messages, which ranged from updates on Dipper's condition to pictures of Waddles floating around the gift shop. The most recent texts were asking why he wasn't answering. Aric frowned and checked the dates on each message, then cursed. He had been ignoring his phone for a week without realizing that time was passing. Again. The green haired being sent an apology, which garnered a quick response from his friend.

 _Dude, u space out far too long at a time._

He smiled at the blatant understatement and felt gears turn in his brain as his fingers set to typing a response.

 _Space, the final frontier._

She sent back a smiley face and a short message that made his stomach plummet.

 _Dipper seems to b cheering up, btw. He was actually eating cereal in the kitchen._

Aric didn't think that Dipper should have needed to adjust to not being human. The green haired elemental rubbed one of his rings and contemplated the absolute mess he had created for himself. He had promised Dipper that he would search for a cure. All of his sources had told him that there was no cure.

 _I'm glad he's adjusting! Still haven't learned anything that could help him tho._

He wandered out of his work room. The cavernous living area he had carved out of the mountain had a solitary plaid couch and a T.V. that worked despite the lack of electricity running through it's circuits. Having an extensive knowledge of magical rocks and gems made nearly anything possible. Except for humanity. He hadn't practiced magic himself in years. Aric looked at his hand, which was still tingly from a month ago. It was almost like he wanted to perform more spells. Magic was a weird, slippery slope. He had seen many creatures rise to power only to consume themselves. He didn't want that for anybody, much less himself.

His mind wandered back to Dipper's predicament. Maybe making some sort of deal with him would work? No, he had asked about that, There was no precedent and no way to be sure it would work. His phone buzzed, and he nearly chose to ignore it. The message was from Mabel.

 _Dipper says that there might not be a way to change him back. Idk. Can't tell if he's bummed or not._

Aric chose not to respond. Even Dipper knew that there was no hope. He dropped the phone on the floor and flopped onto the depressed couch. What the fuck could he do?

* * *

Back at the Northwest mansion construction site, reporters and journalists had gone home for the night. A few lonely construction workers cleaned up for the dark hours, locking up power tools and hanging up their helmets. One straggled behind the group, tripping over his loose bootlaces. The pile of ash beneath his feet rose up in a swirl of grainy greys and sharp brights. He caught his balance, backing away as the storm intensified. The cloud pulled together, coalescing into the figure of the most attractive woman he had ever he recognized her face.

"P… Priscilla Northwest?" She smiled, botoxed lips stretching far too wide.

"It's so nice to be back." She flicked a delicate finger towards the construction worker. Blood gushed from his nose and mouth as he dropped to the ground. She took his clothes and threw her hair into a ragged ponytail. After disposing of the body, Priscilla Northwest walked off of the property and into the woods surrounding Gravity Falls.


	23. Chapter 23

Pacifica scrubbed her teeth, staring tiredly at her face in the mirror. Things had been calm ever since Dipper had become a gargoyle, and it was a little weird adjusting to having a relatively normal life again. She had slightly purple bags under her eyes, which were a little red and sore from reading papers and signing documents and arguing with lawyers. Something about her hair didn't quite look right. She leaned in towards the mirror, pausing the tooth brushing. She poked her bangs, then lifted them to find that her roots were growing in greyish brown. Almost like her naturally blonde hair was bleached and the real color was starting to come back in. Her eyebrows lowered as she inspected further. Most, if not all, of her hair was growing in that way. She spat out the minty toothpaste and rinsed her mouth out. Her thoughts were racing. Surely her hair wasn't turning grey. That made no sense. She was too young. Or, at least, she thought she was too young. Maybe it was because of all the stress? The magic she had been around? The blonde left the bathroom to go find Mabel. The brunette was friends with a magical being, maybe they could help.

She knocked on Mabel's bedroom door before barging in, "Mabel, my hair."

The brunette glanced up from her phone, then held up a stuffed animal that was in the shape of a bunny.

"No, no, my literal hair. The blonde stuff growing out of my head? That hair?"

Mabel lowered the stuffed animal, then clicked her phone off and trotted over to inspect her friend's glorious mane. She mumbled a bit as she ran her fingers through it, noticing exactly what Pacifica had seen in the mirror.

"You don't dye your hair, right?"

Pacifica shook her head gently, "No, never. It's always been blonde."

Mabel made a thinking noise, then snapped a picture and sent a query to Aric. Pacifica stood awkwardly in front of the door. Her friend went back to the bed.

"He probably won't respond right away. He gets to thinking and spaces out for weeks at a time."

Pacifica tucked some hair behind her ear, then patted the top of her head nervously. She wasn't sure what the problem was, and she wanted to know immediately. The girls jumped as Mabel's phone lit up and blasted a loud song about rocks. Pacifica rushed over to see what the message said.

 _I have no earthly idea._

Mabel giggled, "Do you get it? He's an earth elemental? Get it?"

Pacifica turned her blank face to the door like she was on The Office. She had never actually seen the show, but Mabel seemed to like it, so she included a few common jokes every now and again. The brunette rolled over, feet hanging off the edge of the bed as peals of laughter fought their way from her diaphragm. The joke was a success.

"Okay, but seriously, Mabel. Mabel, stop." Pacifica waited as her friend wiped a tear from her eye.

"What if this is a magical thing? What do I do?" She touched her hair again. It didn't feel any different from normal.

"I'll send Aric another text, ask him to ask around. That's really all I can do. You could ask Dipper about it, though. He still has a journal." Pacifica blanched. She didn't want to bother him with her crisis while he was still sorting through his own baggage. Mabel patted the blonde's cheek.

"Go talk to Dipper."

"I literally cannot do that." Panic welled in her throat as she blew the consequences of asking him to help her out of proportion. He could think that she was being too needy, or that she was trying to take the spotlight from him. Her rational mind tried to tell her to calm down, but the part of her brain that was freaking out basically threw the rational part out the window head first.

"Fine, I'll ask him." Mabel stood, brushing glitter from her sweater sleeves. Pacifica watched in horror as the brunette walked calmly over to the door.

"No. It's fine, it might be nothing, he doesn't need to know, right?"

Mabel turned, one hand on the door, "Why are you so afraid of telling him that something is wrong with you?"

Her heart skipped a beat as distant words flickered through her head like a radio that didn't have enough battery.

"I don't want him to think I'm fake, or vain, or-"

Mabel raised a hand, "Ciffy. He won't think those things. We've known you for so many fucking years now. It's not vain to be worried about a sudden change in your life, be it your boyfriend turning into a gargoyle or your hair suddenly not being blonde anymore." And with that, Mabel tugged the door open to reveal her brother with his fist raised like he had been about to knock. He grinned, then lowered his hand.

"I heard something akin to a stampede of elephants earlier, I wanted to make sure that everything was okay." He rubbed his hands over his thighs, leaving handprints on the denim that covered them. Pacifica blushed, trying to look literally everywhere except at her boyfriend. Mabel spoke up.

"Dipper, weird shit is happening to your girlfriend's hair. Have a look and tell me what you think." The taller twin grabbed her brother and dragged him into the room, leaving the door open. He slowly walked towards the blonde, eyebrows upturned in worry. Pacifica looked at the floor, feeling her cheeks get even hotter as he closed the distance between them.

"May I…?" His voice was tentative. Mabel sighed audibly from the other half of the room.

"Yeah, it's whatever." Pacifica felt the tips of his fingers gently prod her scalp and shift strands of hair out of his way.

"I mean, I know I said you dyed it when we were twelve, but I didn't think-"

Pacifica blushed even more, "it's not! I don't, it's. Fuck."

Dipper chuckled, "I know I was joking. This is very odd. I'll go check the journal, but I don't remember anything about this in there."

Mabel's phone went off again, startling her brother's hands away from Pacifica's head. The blonde gently finger combed her hair and turned so that the twins couldn't see her tomato face. Mabel made a weird noise.

"He said he asked around and thinks he might know something." The taller twin sighed.

"Wait, you asked Aric first?" Dipper sounded like he was arching a single eyebrow. Pacifica rubbed her arms, trying to encourage the blood to drain from her face as Mabel gave some sort of explanation. The blonde wasn't listening until Dipper asked her a question.

"You coming, Pacifica?"

"Uh." She had to start paying attention more often.

"Aric said that his source is visiting him right now, and invited us to go meet them. He's being crazy cryptic about it, though." He sounded less than thrilled about the invitation.

Pacifica patted her warm cheeks, deeming them okay for viewing before turning around, "Yeah, why not, let's go meet this mystery source. Who knows, maybe after meeting us they can figure out a way to help you, too."

Dipper shrugged, "I guess. Where to, Mabel?"

The taller twin glanced at her phone. Her hazel eyes flicked up and she fought to not laugh. Pacifica stared. Dipper deflated, "it's a cave, isn't it?"

"Yeah." Mabel was bursting at the seams from trying to not laugh. Pacifica chuckled a little, too. Caves got them into this mess, and hopefully they would get them out of this mess.

Dipper sighed again, "Let's just go."


	24. Chapter 24

Dipper stared at the eight foot tall crack in the mountainside, backpack hanging painfully off his shoulders. His feet itched to turn around and go back home, and the sinking feeling in his gut felt like an agreement to that notion. The brunette glanced over at his sister, who was babbling excitedly to Pacifica about caves and rocks and Aric. Every time his twin said Aric's name, something just didn't sit well with Dipper. Pacifica seemed normal, aside from the worry that framed her face along with her hair. Which was the reason they had walked all the way through the woods across town. The mountainous terrain had earned more than a few curses from the group, and now that they had arrived at their destination, the boy wanted nothing more than to leave. He stood up a little straighter, squaring his shoulders despite the lack of confidence that he felt when anywhere near the taller immortal that dwelled within.

"So, are we supposed to knock?"

Mabel shrugged, "He said to wait here."

It had struck Dipper as a little odd that the older guy had known where they were the whole time they walked. He hoped the elemental wasn't some sort of creepy stalker. Voices echoed quietly out of the cave, startling Mabel and Pacifica into silence.

"Aric, I told you that you should have just given them latitude and longitude! They would have been able to find it!"

"Oh my god, get off my case! They're fine and I'm fine so stop worrying!"

"Remember what happened to Alejandro?" An exasperated sigh preceded Aric's form as it emerged from the tall break in the rocks. His hair was highlighter green, at least to Dipper's disapproving stare, and his tattoos moved on his skin as he waved at Mabel. Specifically Mabel. Dipper kept his face neutral until he saw the source of the second voice. The woman was shorter than Aric, but not by much. Her proportions were akin to Greek and Roman statuary, with legs that looked a mile long and wild green curls that framed her full face. The shorter twin felt totally clumsy in comparison. He glanced at Mabel and Pacifica to see that they were also staring at the drop dead gorgeous woman. He didn't feel so bad for staring after that.

"Oh, is this the famous Dipper Pines?" Her voice sounded even more attractive now that layers of rock weren't distorting it. It was smooth and sweet like honey, but sultry enough that he was certain she could convince inanimate objects to do anything for her. Aric looked annoyed, an expression that Dipper wasn't used to seeing on the elemental's strong features.

"Kathrynne, go back inside."

"Fuck no, I want to meet the little ones!" She cracked a grin while Aric stared at the sky as though pleading to some higher being for strength.

"Okay, everyone, this is Kathrynne, my older sister. Her hobbies are unspeakably evil and we only get along half the time."

"Kinkshamer." Kathrynne grinned, luscious pink lips showing off pristine teeth. Dipper wiped his palms on his jeans as discreetly as he could.

"Kathrynne, this is Dipper. The taller one is Mabel. And the blonde is Pacifica Northwest."

Dipper looked away as Kathrynne's deep blue gaze drilled into each of them individually. Guilt clawed at his stomach. He was dating Pacifica, he shouldn't have been staring for so long!

"Nice to meet you, guys. Please, follow my brother into the cave of wonder!" The curly haired woman gestured towards the cave as Aric slipped inside. Dipper let the girls go first and brought up the rear. His girlfriend was right in front of him. He touched her hand with his, smiling as her fingers reached back. Her quiet whispers drifted towards him before he could apologize.

"Hey, sorry I was staring at Kathrynne so much. I was not expecting that." Pacifica sounded confused. Dipper raised an eyebrow.

"You weren't the only one looking, Pacifica. There was something really enthralling about her."

Pacifica shook her head, "I'm straight as a ruler, Dipper. I was staring at her and my heart was fluttering in a way all too similar to how I feel about you." Her voice shook like she was embarrassed. Dipper could relate.

"Look, don't worry about it. We can all agree that Kathrynne is attractive as hell and leave it alone. She's probably magical, too." He squeezed her hand three times, and she squeezed back. Mabel tripped over something up ahead and Dipper tried not to be annoyed that Aric moved to catch her. He had given his okay on the whole awkward thing after all. After another few feet, the cramped hallway opened up into a softly lit interior. There was a grungy sofa, a T.V. that didn't seem to plug into anything, a hallway that went to another room, and a whole lot of rock flooring. Dipper made a face.

"So, why did we have to meet here?"

Aric turned to face him, "because this is a secure area and I know we can speak freely here. In addition, Kathrynne surprised me with this visit and I didn't want to leave her here by herself."

Those reasons sounded pretty fair to Dipper. He looked over at his twin, only to see that she was still drooling in Kathrynne's direction.

He pointedly brought his gaze back to Aric, "so, what do you guys think is going on with Pacifica?" He rubbed his thumb over her knuckles, checking at the same time to make sure his ring was still on. It was.

Kathrynne spoke up, "well. During my very very long life span, I have seen things. Unlike Aric, I've had the misfortune of getting witches on my bad side. That's why I live in New York. That's why we're meeting here. Specifically, Pacifica's mother is why I can't be on this coast without protection. She's tried to kill me so many times." The green haired woman sighed, a dreamy look in her eyes.

"You should have seen her without the botox. In any case, witches live for a really really long time, and their power is only passed from mother to daughter. Even then, it's not a one hundred percent guarantee that their daughter will be one. The first marker of being a witch is the change in hair color, usually from blonde to black, although other colors have been documented." She gestured towards Pacifica's hair. Dipper glanced at his girlfriend, noting that she was frowning in disbelief.

"The second marker is being able to perform magic. I'm not sure how that one works exactly, but I've seen freak storms and towns being turned upside down, so we'll see. Yes, Pacifica?"

Her hand, which had been in the air, slowly lowered as she spoke, "my mom isn't a witch. I mean, people have called her that, but they didn't mean broomsticks and magic. She's never displayed and real witch behavior."

Kathrynne nodded, "interesting thought, except I don't lie to people. I know many succubi do, but it's just not my modus operandi. Your mother is literally a witch, and she clearly passed it on to you."

Pacifica still didn't seem too convinced.

"Do you have any proof?"

Dipper didn't blame the blonde for being skeptical. He would have been pretty skeptical, too, if he was in her shoes. Kathrynne looked at her brother, who had covered his eyes with a hand.

"I know it makes you uncomfortable, so if you don't wanna see it you can hide in your workroom for a bit." Kathrynne sounded depressed. Aric took his opportunity to leave, and Dipper had never really understood the term sprint until that moment. Kathrynne waited until he was gone, then turned around and tugged her shirt off. Dipper almost blushed, but then the scars were revealed, almost as though she had masked them with magic. Priscilla's name was carved across the older woman's shoulder blades and upper back. The longer he looked, the more alive the marks felt. Pacifica gasped, her hand slipping out of his grip to cover her open mouth.

"My mother did that to you?"

Kathrynne shrugged back into her shirt and turned around again, "Yup. I was what she had summoned for her first familiar. In case you didn't know, getting a humanoid monster as a familiar is really difficult. Technically, it's a lifelong oath in which the one summoned gets no say, so I really still am her familiar." The green haired demoness made a disgusted face. Pacifica was trembling. Dipper gently patted the blonde's shoulder.

"Basically, she wants me dead so she can get a newer, better, more obedient, more powerful familiar. I don't think she'll find me, though. Oh, fuck, I forgot." She snapped her fingers, then trotted over to Pacifica.

"What color is it coming in?" The woman glanced over the top of her head, then gasped, "Oh my, it's looking gingery. My apologies. That's a hard color to pull off. I would know, under all this dye mine is naturally bright fuckin' orange."

Dipper stared off into the distance. First Wendy, now Pacifica. He was doomed. Mabel stifled a giggle.

"Also, I've only met three other ginger witches. Two of them were pretty chill and only used their magics to make successful bakeries. The other one went on a power trip and was burned at the stake during the Salem witch hunts. Tragic, but sort of interesting." Kathrynne stopped talking as Aric poked his head back into the room.

"So, Pacifica believes the witch thing now? That's good. I, uh, Dipper, I want to apologize for not being able to figure out more about a cure for you." He looked genuinely upset. Dipper's agitation faded away a little bit as Mabel gave him a weird look.

"Honestly, Aric, I'm not expecting a cure at this point." His gut swirled with conflicted emotions. He wanted a cure, but he didn't honestly believe that there was one.

"I just. I don't want to hurt anybody again."

"We'll figure something out."

Dipper glanced up at the elemental, staring into the buttery yellow irises that Mabel wouldn't shut up about. They were so intense. The brunette could feel the years of conflict flow between their gazes. He shifted his view so that all he could see were his beat up sneakers.

"Yeah, something."

The kids walked back home, Kathrynne and Aric waving until they were out of sight. Kathrynne lowered her arm, still feeling the magical burn across her back from exposing the scars. Aric gently laid a hand over it, rubbing calming little circles into the irritated skin. She relaxed into the touch, bones feeling older than her few thousand years of existence.

"I hope Pacifica doesn't turn out like her mother." The curly haired woman couldn't keep the fear and concern out of her voice. Aric gave his older sister a warm hug.

"She's a good kid, Kath. She'll be alright."

"We thought Priscilla would be alright, just so you know."


	25. Chapter 25

Pacifica's stomach was still roiling about the physical damage that her mother had caused. Priscilla Northwest had never struck Pacifica as a particularly violent person. Sure, she was greedy, didn't care about other people's plights, and wasn't the best mother ever, but the blonde had never thought that her mother could injure another living being. And to think that that living being was so attractive. Pacifica had thought about kissing other girls, but she never really thought about it harder than, "it'd be interesting to give that a go." It was very similar to the thought process that made her find out that she hated caviar. She had thought, "why not?" and tried some only to vomit the whole shebang into the punch bowl. That was how she felt about girls. An interesting thought, but not really something she would do more than once. Maybe that metaphor wasn't very good. She couldn't think of a more apt description, though.

Kathrynne had made her question the metaphor. The blonde laid on her bed, staring at the clock as it switched from three to three zero one. She couldn't stop thinking of the messy curls, the curve of the older woman's lips. Dipper's hair was pretty curly and messy, too. His lips weren't as full, but he was a great kisser. She touched her own lips with a tentative finger. She had never really paid attention to them before. What did they look like? She untucked her feet from under the covers, and silently padded out into the hallway towards the bathroom. She closed the door behind her, then flicked the light switch. Something moved in the mirror, and when she focused on the glassy surface, she nearly screamed. Her mother's face was reflecting towards her, eyes dark and features exaggerated.

"Do you know how long I have been waiting in this mirror for you?" Pacifica scrabbled at the door, trying to find the knob. It had to be a nightmare. Her mother had burned in the fire, she had seen and identified the corpse at the morgue. The blonde had fucking buried her.

"Five hours and twenty three minutes. I can't believe how boring it was. But look at you, daughter. You've begun." The woman grinned through the mirror, mouth too large and teeth too wide. Pacifica's left hand gave up the search for the knob and settled for running through her weird hair.

"That's right. You'll be a witch, a real one, soon. I know somebody told you about it. Who." Pacifica glanced towards the floor and shook her head. The teen's mother glared out from the mirror.

"You're too quiet, daughter of mine."

Pacifica swallowed, trying to get her throat to make some sort of agreement. All that came out was a raspy croak. Her mother laughed, "eloquence is key, darling. If you wish to be heard and respected you must first enunciate your words."

The blonde stared at her toes against the linoleum. She couldn't believe that her mother was alive. Or, rather, if this was a dream, why pull the Bloody Mary act?

"Mother," her voice shook, " I will not tell you anything." After what Kathrynne had shown her, she couldn't give the beautiful woman up. Life was on the line.

"Then I know who told you. All I must do now is find her."

Pacifica stepped back, her right hand finally hitting the doorknob. She jiggled it, only to find that it was locked and unable to unlock. The blonde inhaled sharply.

"You won't be leaving until I'm through talking, Pacifica. After all, you did leave me for dead back at the mansion."

"And I identified your corpse at the morgue, so how did you live through it?" She released the useless knob and crossed her arms, breath still uneven.

Her mother mimicked the action, "Witches can't die unless they lose the will to live, darling. Or, at least, I'm strong enough that my lifespan works that way. I assume it will be the same for you."

The blonde held her pose, despite wanting to try the door and escape again. She had been told all her life to be careful, petite, pretty, delicate, and a multitude of other things because she was the sole heir of the Northwest name and fortune. Immortality was hard to grasp.

"What else do you want from me?" She knew the door was still locked.

Priscilla smiled, her large lips contorting fiendishly.

"I want you to step through this mirror and let me teach you proper witchcraft."

Pacifica backed into the door with a straight face, "Absolutely not."

"You should be jumping for joy, darling. I don't offer to teach any but my own flesh and blood."

The blonde's stomach recoiled, "You may have birthed and raised me, but I will not set foot in any home that you own ever again."

Her mother's grin got even bigger, which the teen hadn't thought possible.

"Fine, then. I don't need permission to get what I want." The older woman's fingers snapped, and the lights in the bathroom went out. Pacifica's heart felt like a shard of ice stabbing her in the ribs. She gasped, feeling smoke swirl around her legs. The amorphous clouds became sharp, like fingernails against her skin. Hands gripped her ankles, dragging her forward. Towards the mirror. She tried to scream, but a hand clamped over her mouth and stifled it. She fought, kicking and punching, but the clouds grew in force and size and before long the short teenager was no longer in the bathroom, and the space looked as undisturbed as if no one had ever set foot in it.


	26. Chapter 26

Dipper had woken up feeling fully rested for once. He hadn't had any nightmares. He hadn't woken up every hour on the hour like he had been doing for the past few days. The brunette had even eaten breakfast in the kitchen for the third time since the whole turning into a gargoyle thing. Then he had gone to wake the girls up, only to find one of them missing. He figured that, since her phone was on the charger still, that Pacifica had gone to the bathroom or something. He dragged Mabel out of bed, then went to the kitchen to wash his breakfast dishes. When his sister came down by herself, he got worried.

"Hey, have you seen Pacifica yet this morning?" He set the sponge down on the edge of the sink and rinsed his bowl.

Mabel yawned, "Nah, bro. I thought she was in the bathroom."

He was probably being irrational, but he put his dishes on the drying rack and searched the house. His girlfriend was nowhere, his heart was thumping out of his chest, everything had that stupid fucking bluish tint that made him realize he was having too many emotions. Dipper knew that he shouldn't have suspected Aric or Kathrynne, but he totally suspected both of them. Especially Kathrynne, since he didn't know her that well. He threw clean clothes on and nearly sprinted out the door before Mabel caught his arm.

"Dipperdoodle, you are not running to Aric's cave by yourself." He nearly snarled at his sister, but stopped before the sound left his lungs. His breathing was ragged, and it took him a few tries to slow it down to normal. Everything glowed aquamarine until the brunette calmed down.

"Okay. What do you suggest?" He watched as his twin carefully released his arm and went to scoop her phone up off the table. Her fingers flicked over the screen, paused, then continued to press buttons. Dipper wiped his hands on his jeans, nearly knocking his ring loose. Mabel made an exasperated noise.

"What's wrong?" He righted the gold band, rubbing a thumb over the turquoise gem.

"Aric said his sister is missing as well. He doesn't need to sleep, so he's really kicking himself over how they managed to disappear without his knowledge." She pocketed the device, slipping her shoes on as she went for the door.

"Mabel, you're not going to Aric's man cave by yourself." He smirked a little as she glared.

"Fine, then. Come with me." She yanked the door open, holding it for her twin. Dipper grabbed his backpack from beside the portal, remembering his promise to bring non-magicked water on adventures. He felt his heart sink a little at the memory.

They made it to Aric's cave in record time. Dipper led the way into the cave, holding his twin's hand as they traversed the rocky hallway. It got warmer and warmer the closer to the living area they got. Dipper wiped the sweat from his brow with his free hand. His sneaker sizzled as it made contact with the rock floor of the living room. A brilliant white figure stood in the center of the room, hallucinogenic waves of heat radiating from it to the ceiling of the cave. Mabel coughed behind him. The smell of superheated rock enveloped the twins, suffocating them. Dipper tugged his jacket off and tied it around his waist, feeling beads of sweat drip down his sides as he moved. Mabel put a hand on his shoulder to keep him from moving closer.

"Without magic you will die if you touch him like this!" Her hazel eyes glowed in the reflected light of the figure.

Dipper held his beringed hand up, "Does this count?"

Mabel frowned, "No! Look, try shouting at him or some-" A loud voice like an avalanche crashed around their ears, totally interrupting Mabel.

" _LEAVE_."

Dipper stood in front of his sister as the person turned, eyes burning a furious yellow. The brunette glared back just as intensely, feeling the ring heat up against his index finger.

"What the fuck happened?" His voice was deeper than it had ever been, distorted by the heat and building anger. Mabel grabbed his arm.

"Dipper, stop it. We need to leave."

"Not until we have answers!" He took another step into the room, leaving his sister in the hallway. She hissed as he stood to his full height. The ring burned even hotter against his skin, turning from uncomfortable to painful in a few scant seconds.

"Where are Kathrynne and Pacifica?" The elemental glowed brighter, red spots mixing in with the white and yellow that flickered over the being's skin. Dipper flicked his hand to try to keep his mind off the pain. Sweat evaporated into the air before it could hit the ground. Something did hit the ground. Mabel screamed from her spot in the wall.

Fury bloomed under his skin, adding more heat to the fire. A great crack echoed around the chamber as his skin went from peachy and red to marbled grey. The room turned shades of teal. He stretched his wings, unfolding to a height that his human form could never reach. Aric's eyes bored into the gargoyle's. Dipper smiled, stepping closer to the elemental now that the heat no longer dried his skin and eyes. Aric slowly stopped glowing and returned to his human form. The being's once green hair was now blonde.

"Finally calmed down, I see." Dipper threw a punch, which was swiftly deflected. The gargoyle cackled.

"Where is Pacifica?"

Aric's eyes flashed gold, "I don't know."

"Your sister must have taken her somewhere. Perhaps for revenge against Priscilla's treatment." Dipper swung his other arm towards the shorter immortal's side, nerves tingling in excitement as the hit landed. Aric flew across the room, crashing through the smoldering framework of what used to be the couch. Mabel shouted something, and a glinting blue stone sailed over her twin's head to land on the floor by Aric's prone form. The gargoyle rushed towards the winded elemental, claws and teeth at the ready. Aric knelt, the stone in one glowing hand, and let the sharp digits sink into his human skin.

"Kathrynne would never put another living thing through what she's been through." The blonde's voice struggled to stay even, but Dipper knew that he was in pain. He twisted his hand around, furthering the injuries. Aric grabbed the stone creature's free hand and pulled it towards himself. Dipper tried to back away, but was anchored to the spot by the arm that was still trapped in the elemental's skin. The blonde stared directly into the gargoyle's eyes.

"I see that a ring isn't going to work. I'll try something else."

Searing pain tore up the stone creature's arm. His eyes were glued to where Aric pressed his thumb against the back of his hand. His grey skin flared back to human peach, then red where it touched Aric's molten hand. A strangled scream escaped his throat. Mabel's higher pitched one joined in. Something rammed into him, freeing his arms from the elemental's grip.

"Aric, stop it!" Dipper curled up on the hot stone floor, cradling his left hand against his chest. Tears flowed down his cheeks as Mabel shouted some more. His ears were ringing too much to hear actual words. The brunette's aquamarine eyes glanced down, ignoring the raw flesh of his hand. The turquoise stone that had previously inhabited a ring was now embedded in his skin. His sister's shaky hands pressed against his shoulders and forehead. Small pained noises escaped his lips.

"Dipper, stay with me okay? You'll be okay, it'll be okay, shh-" She tried to haul him so that he was sitting, but the motion just made him dizzy. Aric's arm came into view, the brightly colored tattoos causing panic to run unbridled through the teen's chest.

"Look, Mabel, I'm sorry. Give me his hand. I'll heal it, I can-"

"Get the fuck away from him!" A sound like a foot hitting a stomach rolled through Dipper's ears. The ceiling was spinning. Pain throbbed from his fingertips to the nape of his neck. The blonde sounded out of breath.

"Please, I really am sorry. I tried to, no. I'm sorry. My actions were inexcusable. He's your brother, his life is precious. Please, let me try to fix his hand before it's too late."

Mabel sobbed, "Fine, just. Be careful."

Aric must have nodded, because Mabel scooted aside and the tattoos came into view once more. A gentle yellow glow enveloped the brunette, and cool air made gooseflesh rise on his arms. Strong hands wrapped around his injury, sending small sparks of pain through his synapses. After a few minutes, the pain subsided and he set his head down on the floor. Aric stood and moved away, leaving enough room for Mabel to check on her brother.

"You left the stone in there."

"If I removed it he would have become a gargoyle again."

Mabel's cool hands pressed against her brother's forehead. Dipper closed his eyes, letting their conversation morph into abstract noise and then to silence as his brain drifted into unconsciousness.


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Hey everyone, sorry updates have been sparse! I've been drowning in class work lately. I promise I'll update a little more often during this coming week! Shout out to the anons I've been getting as well. You guys are the best!

* * *

The world around her was fuzzy and dark. Voices floated through a muffled haze, not that she bothered to understand the words. She felt like a balloon, tethered to one spot despite her limbs trying their darndest to fly towards space. She was sitting, if the pressure on her butt and back was a chair like she assumed it was. Pacifica blinked, vision slowly clearing enough to reveal Kathrynne leaning against the opposite wall. The green haired woman kept her head held high despite the cuffs and chains that kept her in place. The blonde blinked again, struggling to make her foggy brain remember how she got there. Her memory banks were black holes. She gave up and tried to stand up and stretch out the kinks in her limbs.

Though nothing bound the teen, she couldn't get up. She glanced up at Kathrynne, panic shooting through her abdomen. The green haired woman just shrugged and made an annoyed sound. A loud slamming sound, like a chair falling over, echoed around the room. Kathrynne frowned. Upon closer inspection, Pacifica could see that the woman's makeup was smudged and sloppy, like she hadn't been able to remove or reapply it in a few days. The blonde began to wonder if she would ever recover from all the weird time shit that kept happening.

"Hello, girls!" Chills ran down Pacifica's spine as she remembered being dragged into the mirror. Her sky blue gaze caught Kathrynne's deep indigo one. Seeing her own fear echoed in the older woman's face was both comforting and terrifying. Priscilla strode into the room, tossing a canvas bag onto what appeared to be a work bench and tossing aside her flannel shirt and large sunglasses. Pacifica stayed silent.

"My, what a cheery bunch you are." The witch's tone dripped with sarcasm as she came to a stop between her two captives. She lifted an eyebrow, "Well, girls, I have a lot of work to do. Kathrynne, I have to kill you. Not just yet, but you can expect it."

The curly haired demoness glared, fury making her shake enough that the clinking of chains echoed around the cavernous room. Priscilla laughed.

"And as for you, my darling daughter, you I want to have a chat with." The brunette snapped her fingers, and a jolt of electricity went through Pacifica's hair. The blonde inhaled sharply.

"The reason I gave birth to you was so that I could have a disciple. Someone I could teach, someone as powerful as I am. I want a girl by my side to do my bidding and chat with through the ages." Priscilla stepped closer, face slowly lighting up with hope and wonder as she spoke. Pacifica kept a blank facial expression.

"Fuck. You."

Her mother laughed, "of course, I knew you would react that way. But we have all the time in the world to talk about this. So, Pacifica, dear?" She pinched the blonde's cheek, feigning familiarity while ensuring that the girl knew who was in charge, "consider it?"

Pacifica wrenched her face out of the witch's grip, "I already gave you my answer, get away from me!" Her heart was in her throat, nerves shorting out its normal beat.

"Ah, well, I'll ask again when I come back over here next." With another snap of her fingers, and another spark that ran through the blonde's now very ginger looking hair, Pacifica was silent. Priscilla smiled menacingly at her hostages, then wandered over to her bench and started brewing something.

The blonde stared at Kathrynne, realizing that Priscilla must have used a silencing spell on them. The green haired woman wouldn't stop glaring at Pacifica's mother. Pacifica sighed, bored. Every few hours, her mother would ask if she was ready to learn magic and rule the world. The blonde's normal reaction was to roll her eyes and say no.

By the eightieth time she was asked the exact same phrase in her third hour of being awake, the blonde was wondering if she could stay sane. Finally, right as her nerves were beginning to fray past the point of no return, Pacifica's mother left the room. Kathrynne kicked the wall, making the teen jump. Their eyes locked. Kathrynne opened her mouth for the first time in three hours.

"I hate saying this, but you should probably take her up on the offer."

Pacifica glared, "How do I know my mother isn't speaking through you?"

The green haired woman glared right back, "because that bitch wouldn't ever admit that she married in vain. She also wouldn't tell you that if you kill me, she's out of power until she summons a new familiar. The longer you keep a familiar, the more your powers become interlocked. I am a huge weak spot, and she won't kill me until she knows there's someone even stronger lined up. Now accept her proposal, learn all you can, summon the most impressive monster your little heart can think of, and crush her into the smallest pile of dust you can manage."

The blonde, shocked at the rant, let her glare soften. Kathrynne's mouth stayed firmly shut after that, leaving Pacifica to her own thoughts once more. The teen was definitely a witch. And she didn't know any other witches, much less a friendly one who would teach her magic. This could be her only chance to learn, and who knew what the consequences of not using her powers could be. Kathrynne's argument made a lot of sense. She really didn't want to give her mother more chances to corrupt her thoughts, though.

Footsteps sounded on the other half of the room, catching both of the girl's attentions. Priscilla walked into view, face a perfect mask of happiness.

"So, Pacifica? Have you decided to join me yet?"

The blonde almost answered with her usual 'get the hell away from me.' Her breath caught in her throat. She couldn't go back on her word after this. She coughed.

"Fine."


	28. Chapter 28

Dipper woke up in a pile of blankets. His tongue was glued to the roof of his mouth, everything tasted like gravel, and he had a crick in his neck that kept him from looking too far to the right. The brunette carefully dragged himself into a sitting position and looked around.

He was still in Aric's weird cave. He was beginning to really hate that cave. And Aric. His hand caught on a blanket. The teen tugged it off and was greeted with the gem embedded in his flash. It didn't hurt anymore, but his hand had a bit of difficulty forming a fist. He struggled to his feet, neck protesting the movement, and canvassed the room again.

He was tucked in the corner, the pile of ashes that used to be a couch still scattered about the middle of the room. Light filtered out from a small hallway across the way. The brunette quietly padded over to and shuffled through the opening. The room he emerged in glittered with gems and metals. Chains, both delicate and large, dangled from every point of rock. The jewels were grouped by cut and color. He dragged his eyes from the mountains of sparkles to the lone figure that sat slumped over a metal desk by the back wall.

Aric was breathing, but other than that, remained as stationary as a statue. His normally green hair was still blonde, full of sunny, golden hues. Dipper took a tentative step forward.

"I'm awake, you know." Aric's voice was gravelly and strained. Dipper sighed.

"Look, I need to apologize-"

"Join the fucking club." Aric stood swiftly, rising to his full height. He kept his eyes downcast, as though he were ashamed of himself. Dipper frowned.

"Okay, well, me first. I was a complete asshole yesterday, I'm sorry. Nobody should ever have their sibling accused of what I suggested. It was petty and childish of me. I sincerely apologize for losing my temper." He felt a little better after that. Kathrynne might have been mysterious, but that meant jack when she didn't even live in town. Of course she was mysterious. He really shouldn't have lost himself the way he had.

"Can I go now?" Aric barely waited for Dipper to nod the affirmative.

"I'm sorry for nearly mortally injuring you. I lost my temper too, and it was maybe not as uncalled for as what you said, but I'm still sorry about it." He paused, "... Also, you've been out for a week. This didn't happen yesterday, it happened a week ago."

Dipper felt his eyes grow wider, "excuse me?"

Aric averted his gaze, "yup."

"Where is Mabel?" The brunette felt his voice go screachy.

"Last I heard, which was about five minutes ago, she was looking for Pacifica. She's been pretty systematic about it. First she checked the mystery shack, then the grounds, then the Northwest properties, then the grounds between here and the Northwest properties-"

Dipper ran a hand through his hair, "so, you're telling me that I've been asleep for a week on your floor? And Mabel's been out and about looking for witches without me present?"

Aric shuffled a little, a hand going to his wrist to turn the bracelets that clinked from the motion.

"Oh my god. I have to go help her! I can't believe you let her do this by herself." Dipper turned and started for the door, only to be stopped by a hand grabbing his shoulder.

"Dipper, you can't go into town."

The teen shrugged the other guy's hand off, turning to glare at the same time.

"And why not?"

Aric looked at the floor, "you would scare the townsfolk."

Dipper's stomach dropped through the floor. He hadn't worn the gem during the whole losing his shit thing, and the last time that happened his eyes had started to glow. It made sense that his appearance would change again. He didn't want to believe it, though.

"What's wrong with me?"

"It's not that there's anything wrong with you, you just don't look human right now." Aric kept fiddling with his jewelry. Dipper was tempted to cause bodily harm. He then ejected that temptation into the stratosphere.

"Do you have a mirror or something?"

Aric shook his head. Of course not.

"Can you be more descriptive, then?"

The blonde sighed, "Well, for starters, your whole eye is blue now, not just the iris. From the crown of your head to about your shoulders your skin is grey. Your hair is, too. Basically, unless you have some spray tan and a pair of sunglasses on you, I wouldn't risk being near the human population."

Dipper took a step back, then a few more. He bumped into the wall, metal clicking against his skin as he jostled the chains that hung. Some gems fell from their organized spots and contaminated other piles. He couldn't feel his heartbeat. His numb fingers barely felt the rock they were pressed against.

"Okay." Nothing was okay. He was not okay. He stared at Aric's annoyingly fleshy form.

"Okay, I- I guess I'll go home then."He blindly found the exit and shuffled into the living room, Aric close on his heels.

"Dipper, I'm not sure that you should do that, either!" The blonde sounded scared, but didn't try to touch the teen again. Some part of Dipper's emotions that were still working sent thankfulness across his brain stem.

"Okay, then what would you have me do? Stay here, away from my sister? So I can be a useless lump? I should be out helping her find Pacifica. If her mother is as awful as we all know she is, then there isn't really time to waste. We have to find her."

Aric met his eyes, golden irises flaring, "Stop."

Dipper felt his mouth slam shut, narrowly missing his tongue. He settled on glaring at the elemental. Anger boiled under his skin.

"Dipper Pines, you are letting your emotions get the best of you. Calm down."

He would calm down when he was dead. A crackling noise filled his ears and Aric sighed. He took a step back, releasing the grey haired teen from whatever magic he had been using.

"Hold on, I have to take this." The blonde reached a hand up to an earring and tapped it twice. Mabel's voice filled the air between them.

"Hey, Aric." She sounded tired.

"Hi, Mabel. You find anything?"

She heaved a sigh, "Nope. Just checking in. Is Dipper okay?"

Dipper wanted to answer, but Aric spoke before he could get a word in.

"Yeah, he's still resting. Keep on trucking!" And with that, the line went dead. Dipper tried to reign in his flaring rage.

"Sorry, I think you two should talk in person, is all. She's worried about you and I know you're worried about her, I get it. Just wait." Aric lowered his hand, "You need to take some time to think and relax, alright?"

"No."

"Fine, let me rephrase that: Go fucking relax. Do you want your sister to come back here and see you trying to fight me again?" The word 'trying' made Dipper's skin prickle, but the blonde was right. There was no reason to upset Mabel more. The gargoyle sighed, letting some of his frustration go. He walked back over to his pile of blankets and sat down. He couldn't stop the frustration roiling in his gut. He wondered if that was a new thing or if he had always been that way.

Chills went down his spine. Dipper was definitely losing his humanity. He wondered how much was even left. He didn't want to hurt anybody ever again. He wrapped himself in the blankets, curling up into a tiny ball at the same time. Icy fear made his eyes sting, but the subtle tint of anger was never too far below the surface. The teen's brain whirled with thoughts until he fell asleep.

* * *

Aric reorganized his gem collection again, mindlessly sorting through the reds, yellows, and oranges that his guest had knocked all over the place. The elemental felt awful, replaying the whole shit show in his head as he thought of better ways to phrase things. He hated the twenty/twenty hindsight thing. It was the worst. He was in the middle of the third replay when Mabel called again, causing his earring to buzz with the connection. Aric pressed a finger to the green gem.

"Heyo." He remembered how upset Dipper had been after the other call. His heart felt sick.

"Aric, I'm going to come back to your place. I can't find anything and it's getting too dark to read my map." Mabel sounded so tired. The blonde sighed.

"Sounds good. Dipper was awake for a little while after you called. Maybe he'll still be up when you get back?" He had to make amends somehow. He couldn't believe how dumb he had been during that argument with Dipper.

Mabel gasped happily into her headpiece, "Oh my gosh, no way! I'll be back in five minutes, tops!" The line clicked off. Aric rubbed the back of his head, then picked a few yellow pear cuts out of the orange ones and tucked the jewels back into their proper places.

The blood rushed away from his face as mounting pressure overloaded the space between his skull and his brain. He squeezed his eyes shut, knees crumpling beneath his weight. Pain bloomed white and red behind his eyelids. The elemental felt the Earth spinning beneath him, throwing his balance fully off. A deep, familiar voice rang like church bells through his mind.

"I will find you, my son. And when I do, expect to be in a world of pain."

The pressure slowly eased, but the tall man still felt like jelly and cooked spaghetti in a bowl of the weakest sauce ever thrown together. He struggled to his feet, feeling Mabel's feet patter against the ground in the main hall. Aric managed to walk to the living room in time to greet her with an apologetic smile. His hands still shook and he felt ill, but she didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, he's sleeping!" She whispered. Aric glanced over at Dipper's blanket pile and saw only a shock of grey hair poking out. He shrugged.

"He'll definitely be awake in the morning. Go home for now, I'll watch over him" Aric made sure that Mabel had everything she needed, waved at her receding figure until she was no longer visible even with his night vision, then lowered his tired arm. His father had indeed escaped from that weird supernatural being jail. The blonde was fucked. He was in no shape to be having cosmic battles with superior monsters. Even the first time… He frowned, rubbing the bracelets on his left wrist. He had been so injured after that fight. Would he be able to do it again?

Aric stared at the sky, picking out constellations and wondering how much time he had left.


	29. Chapter 29

Mabel sat in the maps and local history section of the library, desperately checking over the most recent maps of Gravity Falls. She had checked every inch of the earth aboveground for Pacifica and Kathrynne, and found nothing but normal town buildings and trees. So many trees. She almost wished she had a chainsaw instead of a grappling hook because of how many trees there were. She sighed, rubbed her eyes, then stared blankly at the map in front of her once more. Aric had seemed so spooked the other day. She would admit, if questioned, that she hadn't asked the elemental about it at the time for a plethora of reasons. She was more worried about Dipperdoodle. She was more worried about Pacifica. She had been out and about for nearly twelve straight hours that day. She was still sort of scared of Aric because the guy apparently had a temper and she did not want to be on the wrong side of that any time soon.

So she sat in the library by herself, trying to figure out what she might have missed on her first few runs of Gravity Falls and the surrounding lands. She rested her head on the table, wishing that she had even a clue of whether or not to give up on the town and look somewhere else. Aric had said that the girls were close by, but the brunette had no idea. Her earring buzzed with activity, and she pressed a finger to the pink gem.

"Hello?" Her inquiry was met by some demonic sounding static. She frowned, eyebrows pulling low over her lids. Her hand dropped from the jewelry. That had been happening a lot lately, too. She scooped up the map she had been inspecting, fully meaning to put it away when something slipped between her fingers and onto the floor. She felt the map, noticing a tiny tear in the paper particles. Her hazel eyes swept the floor, finding a small slip of paper, no more than an inch long and a centimeter wide. The teen looked around, saw nobody, then scooped up the slip of paper and squinted at the jumbled writing on it's slightly bent edges.

It was a list of latitudes and longitudes. She set the map back down on the table and tugged her glittery phone out of her sweater pocket to google the coordinates. There were five points, one of which was where the Northwest mansion used to be. She unrolled the map and transferred the data from her phone to the paper with a mechanical pencil she found between the heater and the wall. The center was the town hall. Mabel flopped into her seat, then raised a hand to her ear to speak with her partner.

"Yeah?" Aric sounded even more tired than she did. Tired and almost like he was giving up.

"I think I found something."

He was silent for so long that the teen thought he died. She opened her mouth to ask if he was alright, but he interrupted her.

"What is it?" He sounded so worried and eager. Mabel shoved her bangs out of her face.

"I mean, it may not even be what we're looking for, but I found some coordinates with town hall at the epicenter. I think it's worth looking into."

"Did you already check the coordinates?"

Mabel nodded, then remembered it was a phone call type deal and he couldn't see the motion. She spoke up, "yeah, top to bottom with nothing. I had restricted access to the town hall when I went there, though. If you or Dipper could join me, that would be great." She ignored the little flutter of hope that her brother would be able to go. Aric had said it was best for her twin to stay hidden, but she missed her brother's input and enthusiasm.

"I'll ask him, but we'd need to give him a makeover or something."

Mabel's heart nearly stopped. She hadn't been expecting Aric to say that it was okay to have Dipper join them on the excursion. She beamed, "you know how good I am at makeovers."

Aric sounded like he was smiling, too, "Girl, I know. Meet me at my lair, I'll ask him if he's up for a bit of travel." The connection went dead, and she tucked the slip of paper into her pocket. Then she rolled up the map, put it back on the rack she had retrieved it from, and vacated the library. Once free from the town and it's buildings, the brunette took a step and twisted her speed ring. Within minutes, she was at the entrance to Aric's home.

She could hear the argument from the living room echoing through the knew that Aric and Dipper didn't really get along. There was something about Dipper's paranoia and general grumpiness that didn't mesh with Aric's mysterious and secretive nature. She wished they could go a few days without fighting, but the teen had a sneaking suspicion that sort of thing would require radio silence on both sides.

Once she wiggled her way into the living area, the boys had gone quiet. Dipper's neon teal gaze was focused squarely on his blanket pile, and Aric's golden eyes were focused on the ceiling. Mabel let her eyebrows raise a few centimeters towards her hairline. Dipper kept staring at the ground, but Aric managed a small wave.

"Okay, let's get it out now. What are you two fighting about this time?" She sat on a boulder that Aric had crafted into an armchair. Dipper had draped some blankets over it so that she wouldn't be sitting on straight rock. Teamwork.

Dipper started talking first, raising his voice when Aric started to correct him on a few points, "Mabel, just last week he told me that I couldn't be out in public at all, ever, and that I had to get used to looking like a monster. Now he's saying that a bit of makeup will fix it? In addition, what can I possibly do that you two aren't already doing? You've got the communicator shit going on. You've checked everywhere around town without me so far. Why would you need my help now? May as well just go with your boyfriend here and leave me at home base with nothing to do but ponder my existence and fret about your well-being just like you've been doing this whole time!"

Aric sighed, "Dipper, calm down. All I said last week was that you needed flesh tones on your skin and sunglasses to hide your eyes. Mabel specifically requested your help. Why don't you come with?"

The grey haired teen glared at the blonde, eyes flashing a dangerous shade of aquamarine, "yeah, because she hasn't requested my help before now. You probably told her it wasn't a good idea."

"I still don't think it's a good idea, I just want you two to be happy!" Aric rubbed a hand over his eyes, then let his fingers run through his hair. Dipper took a surprised step back, but his face didn't change expression. Mabel let out a low whistle. The boys looked in her direction.

"Okay, here's a simple solution: Aric, stop being an asshat; Dipper, anger management. Those are key words. Manage your anger. Remember the yoga and the breathing exercises? If you do them, it might help you control your crazy mood swings!" She clapped her hands together, then used them both to point to the mouth of the cave.

"Ready to go get a disguise?"

Dipper cast one last glare at Aric, who expertly ignored the gesture. Mabel stood up from her perch.

Her twin sighed, "Alright, let's go."

Aric followed them out of the cave and towards the town hall.


	30. Chapter 30

Dipper sat on Mabel's bed, expertly ignoring Aric as the elemental quietly stood in a corner and stared around the room. The grey haired boy flinched as his twin came dangerously close to his eye with a makeup covered Q-tip.

"Dipper, hold still."

"I'm sorry, I'm not used to putting chemicals and powders all over my face. Be patient with me."

She responded by putting more powder on him. After a few more minutes, Mabel walked across the room to stand next to Aric and stared intently at her brother. Dipper tried to curb his annoyance. He knew she was only trying to help him blend into society. Aric's butter yellow eyes looked over the shorter twin's face, then the blonde nodded. Mabel giggled.

"Yo, bro! Aside from your hair and eyes, you look like yourself again!" She clapped her hands together excitedly.

Dipper blinked, "really?"

His sister handed him a mirror. She was right. Aside from his electrifying blue eyes and old man hair, the teen looked like an authentic human being. He blinked a few times, the constant storm of emotions that had been tormenting him for the past few weeks calming to a passive trickle. Mabel gently stuffed a pair of sunglasses into his free hand. He cradled them to his chest and continued to stare awe-struck into the reflective glass.

"Okay," Aric spoke while gesturing with his hands. His rings and bracelets clattered a bit, "we have to get into town hall. That means we have to sneak past the security dudes into restricted areas of the building. My radar abilities will tell me who's where when I'm in range of them."

Mabel raised her hand, "Aric, about how big is your range?"

Aric smiled, "ten points to Ravenclaw for the wonderful question! It's about thirty feet in a spherical direction."

Dipper raised his hand, "uh…."

The two turned to face him, eyebrows up and warm gazes questioning. He lowered his hand, "which house am I in?"

Mabel looked at Aric, who closed his eyes and pondered. Dipper felt sweat pool in his palms. He shouldn't have asked.

"Gryffindor." They chorused at the same time, startling Dipper into standing while clutching his new sunglasses.

"Wow, Aric, I thought you were gonna say Slytherin." The gargoyle opened and closed the earpieces of the eyewear a few times as Aric's incredulous eyebrows inched up his forehead.

"Why did you say Gryffindor?"

Mabel grinned, gave Aric a friendly punch on the shoulder that, from Aric's sudden change of expression, hurt a bit more than she had intended. Then she stood still again, the grin plastered across her cheeks. Aric rubbed his injury, then stared pointedly at the floor as he responded.

"Despite everything you do when you're in my presence, Dipper, you're a loyal and caring brother. Your goal isn't to take over the world or whatever ambitious thing. Plus, you've been handling the whole monster thing really bravely. I've seen humans fall from grace before, other monsters too, and you are by far the bravest boy I've ever met. Even if you are angry and paranoid half the time."

Dipper was glad he had twenty pounds of foundation and concealer on his face, because his blush would have been unnecessarily red. The teen smiled a little. Then he raised his hand again.

"What house are you in?"

Mabel smiled so widely that her dimpled cheeks obscured her eyes. She jabbed a thumb in the elemental's direction, "he's in Hufflepuff."

Aric sighed a little, "I took the pottermore quiz, like, twenty times and got Hufflepuff each time. I wanted Ravenclaw."

Dipper tried not to laugh. Mabel chuckled, "Well, I think Hufflepuff is a good fit for you. Let's get going, though. Ciffy's not gonna save herself." She paused on her way to the door.

"Well, I mean, she might. We don't know for sure what she wants to do." The human teen shrugged, then bounded down the stairs with Aric at her heels. Dipper stood from his twin's bed, frustrated that the conversation had ended despite knowing that they had better things to do than chat about Harry Potter. He wiped his palms on his pants, leaving light marks on the denim. Then he put his sunglasses on and followed his sister down the stairs and out the door.

Mabel drove them into town on the modified golf cart. She was so reckless that Dipper was gripping the vinyl seat for dear life and Aric was muttering curses and exclamations of a creative nature under his breath. When the cart screeched to a stop in front of the town hall, the boys fell to the pavement like sailors who hadn't seen land in thirty years.

Mabel laughed, "you guys are silly. I wasn't even driving that fast!"

Dipper removed his hand from a fresh pile of gum, carefully picking the sticky residue from his palm as his stomach finally calmed down from it's nervous somersault parade.

"Mabel, you drive worse than Grunkle Stan!" The teen, now calmed from the frightening drive, felt anger begin to boil in his gut. Aric sighed, stumbling back to his feet.

"Shut up, Dipper! We got here alive! Right, Aric?"

The blonde gulped, "I don't think I want to take a side on this subject."

"Oh, come on!" The brunette turned, long hair smacking her brother in the face. Dipper spat a few strands of hair out of his mouth and followed her up the steps. Aric lagged behind a little. Upon entering the building, Mabel dragged them into a corner and whispered the plan.

"Okay, there are four floors. Dipper and I will get the basement, I'll get the first floor, Dipper gets the second floor, and Aric gets the third floor. Aric, The third floor is bigger than it seems. We good to go?"

Dipper nodded, then looked at Aric whose eyebrows scrunched together in confusion. Mabel snapped her fingers, surprising the elemental into standing up straight.

"Aric?" Mabel sounded worried.

"It's nothing. We can split up and search now."

Dipper met his sister's gaze, neither of them believing that there was nothing wrong.

"Okay, uh, Aric? Do you have a spare communication device for Dipperdoodle?"

The blonde fumbled around with his earrings, then his bracelets. After a few moments, he produced a bracelet with a blue gem set into the silver band. Dipper slipped it over his wrist, staring as the blonde ran off. Mabel shrugged, "he can't avoid us forever, Dipperdoo. Let's go."

Dipper followed his sister, confusion replacing his mild annoyance. He wouldn't admit it, but he was a little worried about the blonde elemental. Mabel took the stairs down two at a time, stopping only at a door labeled "EMERGENCY EXIT." She pressed a hand to her pink earring and mumbled something. Static filled the air, cut by Aric's inquiring voice.

"Yeah, Mabel?"

"This door is labelled as an emergency exit even though it leads to the basement. I'm gonna go through, expect alarms."

Dipper sighed, "Mabel, maybe we don't have to set off the alarms?"

She ignored his probably sound advice and slammed the door open. Dipper quickly followed her inside the dark hallway. His eyes adjusted immediately, but his sibling groped around like she couldn't see at all. He took the sunglasses off, letting his eyes illuminate her path a little. She smiled gratefully in her brother's general direction. He offered his elbow, waited until she took it, then trotted off down the hallway. They found a few empty storerooms, a whole library of filing cabinets, and a closet that only had a sock and a microwave in it. They did not find any sort of hidden rooms, although the filing cabinet room gave him more bad vibes than any other room. After a thorough search for false walls and the like, in every single room, they found nothing. Dipper sighed, stretching his arms in the overly warm and cramped space. Mabel tripped over a box of paperwork and landed in her brother's lap, cursing the whole way down.

"I think, if we were going to find anything that we would have by now."

Mabel made a strangled angry noise, then rolled off his leg and onto the floor. She threw her hands toward the ceiling, waiting for help to get to her feet. Dipper groaned, making his tired legs shift from sitting to standing. He grabbed onto her hands, pulled her to her feet, and started to walk towards the door. Mabel followed him, grumbling about wasting all of her time. Dipper agreed wherever he felt was necessary, but didn't stop moving until they left through the door they had come through. Mabel tugged on his arm, spinning her twin around to face her. His annoyed expression lifted when he saw that she was holding his sunglasses.

"You're gonna need these, bro bro." She shoved the spectacles into his hands. He slipped them onto his face, clouding his vision and dimming the glow from his eyes. The teen looked around the now dim room.

"Thanks, sorry."

"No problemo, Dipper. Second floor, get going." Mabel gently nudged him towards the stairs, following as far as the first floor. Dipper felt his bracelet hum against his wrist as Mabel touched her earring.

"Mabel to Aric."

"Yeah?"

"Basement clear. I'm on first floor, Dippy's on second."

"Gotcha. I haven't found anything either, but you were right about this floor being huge."

Mabel chuckled as Dipper walked away, her voice still at the perfect volume in his ears, "Yeah, it's a mess up there. Good luck guys!"

The connection cut off. Dipper stood in the stairwell, staring at his hands. He really missed Pacifica. To the point where he couldn't even think her name without tears springing to his eyes. Her mother was a wild card. They didn't know much about witches, or Priscilla Northwest, or what she was capable of doing. He didn't know what she needed Pacifica for, if it was something that was temporary and would end in death or if she was a long-term sort of thing. He wiped his nose on the sleeve of his jacket, quiet tears spilling from under his sunglasses as people in suits walked around him on the staircase. He slowly got control over himself and continued up the marble steps until he hit the second floor. Now that he was done being sad, he was downright livid. Priscilla had no right to kidnap people like that, and they would find his girlfriend. And she would be alive. He unclenched his fists, wiped his hands on his jeans, and got to scouring the second floor.

There weren't a lot of people traversing the main hallway, but there were a few guards outside of important rooms. He wandered to the first unguarded room and slipped inside. A long table spanned the length and width of the room and was surrounded by rolling office chairs made of shiny black leather. He felt intimidated and he wasn't even giving a presentation. The teen wandered about the room, staring intently at walls and baseboards for any hints or clues or hidden doors. He found nothing. He checked the ceiling and also found nothing.

He tried not to be mad. It was the first door he had checked, surely any sort of hidden room or entrance or something wouldn't be that easy to find. His wristband hummed. Dipper sighed in annoyance, but touched the gem and held it up to his ear.

"Yes?"

Aric's voice poured through the jewel, "guys I got kicked out. I got through most of the hallway and didn't register anything out of place, though."

Mabel crackled through, "don't worry, Aric. I'm almost done the first floor."

Dipper sighed. He had a lot of work to do yet.

"Barely even started, this floor is loaded with security."

Mabel told him to do his best and meet them outside. He nodded, then released his bracelet. The gargoyle poked his head out of the room, noted that some of the security members had switched which rooms they were watching, then went into the next room. It was another corporate board room. He checked under the table, where the walls met the floor, where the walls met the ceiling, and the walls in general. Nothing stood out at him.

His bracelet hummed and he pressed the gem, "Yeah?"

Nothing but static greeted his ears. He held the jewelry a little closer to his ear, picking up faint voices that didn't sound familiar in any way shape or form.

"Hello?" The voices went silent. Dipper felt his heart race, adrenaline rushing through his stomach. A single deep voice cut through the silence.

" _Gravity Falls."_

Dipper felt his eyes widen and his heart skipped a few beats. He glanced around the room. Nothing was there. Nothing but chairs and a table and himself.

"Hello?" He repeated. The voice got clearer.

" _I'm coming for you, Aric."_

Dipper ripped the bracelet off and threw it in the trash. Something was coming to Gravity Falls. Fo Aric. Dipper did not want to be around for that. Well, he was going to be around for it, but he didn't want to be clueless. He left the room, ignoring the security guards who were now standing outside, and raced down the stairs, legs working faster than his heart. Mabel was alone with Aric and there was something coming. He slammed the front door open, startling a few businesspeople. His eyes scoured the sidewalk, finally settling on Aric's lanky blonde form.

The elemental was not looking good. He was sitting on the curb next to the golf cart, elbows on his knees and head on his crossed arms. Dipper stormed down the stairs, fear mingling with the ever present thread of anger that burned white in his gut. He stopped next to Aric, hands shaking.

"Aric, who the fuck said those things? Who is coming for you? What is going on?" Aric kept his face in his arms, barely even twitching to acknowledge that Dipper was speaking. The teen's temper flared, "Aric fucking Whitmoore."

The blonde didn't move, "Shut up, Dipper. You're making a scene."

Dipper was so tempted to rip the blonde up from his seat and force him to talk. He closed his eyes and counted to ten very slowly instead. When he opened his eyes, Aric was sitting up straight, although his face looked pale as death. The grey haired boy sat down next to the blonde.

"You're putting Mabel in danger."

"I didn't think he would find me." Aric blinked slowly, sweat dripping down his temple even though the temperature wasn't that bad. Dipper paused. The elemental was really not looking good. Mabel's voice quietly drifted between them.

"Guys I'm all done, are you outside?"

Static sounded, making Aric practically rip the metal from his ear. Dipper stared at the blonde, eyes wide behind his shades. The elemental quietly told his twin that yes, they were outside, and also to take her communicator off and give it back to him when she got outside. Dipper glared at his feet.

"I didn't think he could track these."

Dipper held his breath for a few seconds, then let it out twice as slowly. There was no reason to be mad at Aric. The guy was doing his best. Everyone made mistakes. Mabel's feet came into view.

"Well, that was a bust. Sorry for wasting your time, guys. Here, Aric. Is something up? I got a lot of static back there." She leaned against the hood of the golf cart, concern etched in every angle of her face. Dipper followed her gaze to Aric's tired eyes. He went back to staring at the ground, feeling frustration build up because they hadn't found Pacifica.

"Yeah, I'll tell you about it on the way back if you promise to drive slowly. And carefully. Stopping at every stop sign we come to." He slowly unfolded, reaching his full height but still looking sick. Dipper stood as well, acutely aware of how short he was in comparison to the blonde.

Mabel seemed to agree, so they all piled into the cart. Dipper stood on the back, letting the drained elemental have the seat next to his sister despite the large portion of his brain that told him not to let that happen. The teen held onto the cart and kept an eye on the speedometer as Mabel carefully drove back to the Mystery Shack.

"Okay, Aric, spill the beans here." Mabel still sounded worried, but her eyes were firmly on the road and surrounding couple of cars. Dipper glanced down at Aric as the man talked.

"Okay, so, this is weird. My father became infatuated with this human woman a long time ago, and they had Kathrynne. My sister." Aric fiddled nervously with his jewelry, particularly his rings.

"Well, when Kathrynne's mom found out that my dad was a demon, she sort of was upset and killed herself. Kathrynne grew up around our father, who found a nymph that he wanted, and that's how I came about. My mother didn't hang around after I was born, and our dad felt like he was too busy to raise a kid, so Kathrynne took care of me."

Mabel made some sad noises when Aric paused. Dipper waited to see what the life story had to do with anything.

Aric rested his head in his hands, "Well, Kathrynne managed to get him tossed into this weird supernatural jail type thing because he was trying to raise an army to take over Earth. Obviously, that foiled his plans and the whole shitfest got tucked under the rug."

Dipper knew he was being impatient, but he spoke anyway, "are you saying that your demon dad got out of jail somehow and is taking his grudge against Kathrynne out on you?"

Aric sighed, "Basically, yes."

Mabel gasped, "But you didn't do anything!"

Aric just nodded. Dipper stood quietly until they made it back to Aric's cave. Mabel walked the blonde inside, her twin at her heels feeling like punching was an adequate solution to the problem. The blonde elemental wandered into his workroom, leaving the twins to talk in the living area. Dipper stuffed his hands into his pockets.

"We have to find Pacifica."

Mabel nodded numbly.

"And get you somewhere safe."

His twin glared, "Where can I be safe, Dipper? Shit is hitting the fan basically everywhere. Humans cause at least as much destruction as a megalomaniacal demon hunting his son. I'd rather be here, offering my support, than in a so-called 'safe place' sipping tea and knitting doilies. We will find Pacifica. I am staying in Gravity Falls." Mabel held the eye contact until her brother blinked.

"Look, Go back to town, see if you can find anything. Maybe I missed something at the library or at the Northwest mansion." She turned away, walking quietly towards the fridge. Dipper rolled his eyes, but did as he was told.


	31. Chapter 31

Dipper left the golf cart, favoring instead to walk to town. Well, he ran to town. He felt like he had too much excess energy and he wasn't sure how to get rid of it. He was drenched in sweat by the time he hit town. He took his jacket off and tied it around his waist. At least Mabel had said she was using waterproof makeup. The grey haired teen took a few moments to steady his breath, then let his feet falter to a complete stop near the post office. He had to go into the library. Snippets of memories slid past his eyes, making panic rise back up his throat.

He used to visit Pacifica while she was volunteering without a care in the world. They would chat as she put books away, and go out to lunch together. Her soft blonde hair would shimmer in whatever light graced its presence. Her eyes would light up whenever he spoke. He turned around and walked back the way he had come, but the images wouldn't leave his brain. He missed her so much.

He stared pointedly at the ground until a familiar pair of brown sneakers caught his attention. The skirt above the shoes also looked familiar. As did the sweater that draped over a pair of slim shoulders. The only thing about the person in front of him that he didn't recognize was the bright copper hair. Those articles of clothing could only belong to one person, though.

He reached out to tap the girl's elbow, "Pacifica?" His fingers went straight through the sleeve of the sweater. It was almost as though the girl wasn't really there. He blinked as she turned around, her confused face just as he remembered it.

"Pacifica!" His girlfriend's eyebrows rose in recognition, but she backed away from his outstretched arms. Dipper let them fall to his sides. The rejection stung.

"Sorry!" She looked at the ground as someone walked by. Dipper waited.

"I'm not really here, is all. This is an astral projection type dealio, I can't physically touch people." The gargoyle raised an eyebrow. Pacifica ran a nervous hand through her hair.

"You're being awfully quiet, Dipper."

He didn't want to yell at her. Not in public, and especially not ever. As a rule. His voice was too loud despite trying to keep quiet.

"Where the fuck have you been? Are you okay?" The ginger in front of him quickly glanced around, relaxing only when she didn't catch anybody staring.

"Dipper, please calm down! I'm okay! I'm learning magic with my mother until I can properly fight. I'm just practicing right now."

The teen let out a deep breath, expelling the last of his fear with it, "okay. Is, um, Kathrynne with you?" He couldn't pretend that Aric wasn't helping. Besides, if Mabel had been the one kidnapped, he would have wanted to know.

Pacifica grimaced, "Yes. She's definitely going to be killed, though. Mother has made it clear that she wants a newer, stronger, more obedient familiar. I'm doing all that I can to stop her, but right now it's not much." She wrapped her arms around herself, making Dipper wish that he could offer some sort of consolation.

"Thanks, I'll let Aric know. Do you know where you are?" She was doing astral projection, so there was a chance that she knew her location.

The girl shook her head, "I can't tell you yet."

He took a small step forward as another pedestrian walked passed them. Pacifica tugged on one of her earlobes. The grey haired teen resisted the urge to offer her another hug. It would blow her cover and neither of them would feel any better.

"Do you know where you are?"

"Yes, but I can't tell you yet. I'm not going to jeopardize Kathrynne's life for an escape attempt. I'll get in touch with you when I need help, okay?" Her eyes looked so sincere. He wished he could do so much as hold her hand.

"Okay. I trust you, Pacifica."

She smiled gently, "I trust you, too. Take care, Dipper." She blew him a kiss, looked around, then vanished. Dipper rubbed a hand over his cheek, smearing his makeup. He sighed, chest devoid of emotions, and started his long run back to Aric's cave to tell his sister about everything.

* * *

Pacifica slowly opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the dim light of her mother's cave-like room. Priscilla stood in front of her, foot tapping impatiently on the hardwood floor. The ginger yawned a little, a delicate hand going up to block her teeth from view.

"So, how was your first long distance run?"

The young witch gave her mother a meaningless smile, "Fun, mother. It was nice to see the town again." Using the loosest sense of the term see. Using astral projection to see the surrounding area was not easy. Pacifica was able to hear people speak and see a white grid of the city on a black background, but couldn't tell by sight which building was which and what person was who. Except by sound.

"Good. Practice until you have it down perfectly. I'll purchase more food for us."

Pacifica clenched her hands into fists as the woman grabbed her purse and trotted out of the room. Her mother wasn't going to feed Kathrynne. Again. Her baby blue eyes glanced around the room, trying to find the succubus. Her eyes caught the form of the prone woman under a table. She slowly made her way over, tucking her skirt under her knees as she knelt next to her friend.

"Hey." The ginger got a muffled groan in response. She sighed, rubbing a thumb over her eyes.

"Do you need to steal some energy to keep your strength up?" Pacifica reached a hand out, palm up. Kathrynne shook her head.

"It's best if I just die."

Pacifica bit her lip, "No, I'm not letting that happen. We can both get out of here alive."

"I have some doubts, princess."

"Don't call me that."

"Prinnnnncesssssss"

Pacifica rolled her eyes, "Shut up and take some energy, Kathrynne."

The woman slowly uncurled an arm from under herself, stretching her fingers weakly towards the ginger teen. Pacifica grabbed her hand, feeling the familiar tug as magic drained through her arm and into her green haired friend. After a few minutes, Kathrynne let go and tugged her arm back towards herself.

"Thanks."

Pacifica gave her a small smile, "You have a brother waiting for you. Don't forget that, okay?"

Kathrynne closed her eyes, "You're supposed to be practicing."

Pacifica stuck her tongue out, but went back to her uncomfortable chair and closed her eyes, drawing what was left of her magic reserves around her head. She slowed her breathing, then recited a few ancient words.

When she opened her eyes, she was at the Mystery Shack. The building was empty, just as it had been for the past couple of weeks. The girl sighed, then recited another word. Colors blurred in her vision, then smoothed out into buildings and humans. The colors faded and she was left with the familiar grid. She huffed a little, wishing that she could see Mabel in addition to Dipper. The teen settled on wandering through town until she could see what it really looked like.


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: Hey gang! I just want you guys to know that this chapter marks 50,000 words written in one single month. Thank you so much for reading and sending reviews and favoriting and following! That all means so much to me. The story's not quite over yet, so stay tuned for another few chapters as I wrap up this bad boy. Thanks again for your support through the amazing journey that is National Novel Writing Month!

* * *

 _Pacifica stood before him, wearing the same outfit she always did. Her long blonde hair cascaded around her shoulders like a robe, the silky golden waves mingling with her lilac sweater. Dipper stepped forward, arms reaching out to pull her into a hug. When his fingers brushed the hair that hung from her shoulders, it slowly bloomed copper. The orange reached her scalp and she opened her eyes, the warm blue irises flicking from his feet to the top of his head._

" _It's so nice to see you again!" Her mouth didn't move, but her soft pink lips curved into a small smile. Dipper gently touched one of her shoulders again, surprised to find that she felt solid and warm. His eyes cast a slight glow over them. Maybe this was real._

" _Pacifica… There's something coming to Gravity Falls. A monster, I mean, a demon."_

 _She frowned, her free hand reaching for his. Their fingers intertwined, and Dipper rubbed his thumb over hers while she thought. His heart slowly melted in her presence, the anger and frustration dripping away a little at a time._

" _I think I know about that. My mother has been talking about some disturbances in the planes. We don't have much time before the demon arrives." She chewed on her lip, and Dipper removed his hand from her shoulder and touched her cheek with it instead. Pacifica blinked, but leaned into the touch._

" _Mabel seems to like Aric, so I guess we have to try to help him. I'm not sure how, though."_

 _Pacifica squeezed his hand three times, "don't worry. I'm sure that you and Aric and Mabel can handle this guy. Just work together." She still looked worried, though._

 _Dipper pressed their foreheads together, "what's wrong? You've heard all my problems, time to trade."_

 _His girlfriend laughed at his phrasing, but sobered up pretty quickly. She sighed, "Kathrynne's not doing too well and I have to kill mom. I don't know how- I mean, I know how but I don't want. Ugh. I don't know if I can do this. I don't really want to."_

 _The grey haired teen kissed her on the forehead, but wasn't sure what to do beyond that. He had thought that Priscilla was dead when he killed her the first time. His chest grew tight, and he dropped the train of thought. He still felt guilty. He would always be guilty._

" _Are you sure that you have to be the one to do it?"_

 _The ginger shook her head, "I'm the only one who can. I'm the most powerful witch alive right now. I don't know what else would be able to kill her."_

 _Dipper felt his heart sink towards his gut. He didn't want her to go through what he did. Pacifica turned her face up towards his, her lips scant centimeters away from his face. He closed the short distance, pressing their faces together as gently as possible. Her warmth engulfed him, making the tips of his fingers tingle despite how upset he was. She smiled against his mouth._

" _I have to go." She whispered, pulling away from her boyfriend's embrace. The gargoyle nodded, still saddened by the whole conversation and trying to think of ways to help._

" _You might not remember this when you wake up, but I'll say it anyway. I love you." She was blushing a little, the red bringing out the warm tones of her hair. Dipper kissed her again, first on the cheek and then on the mouth._

" _I love you, too. Stay safe, Pacifica." He squeezed her hand three times, and then everything faded into darkness._

Pacifica cracked an eye open, feeling her boyfriend's kisses lingering on her skin. She touched her cheek with fingers that shook, then slowly rose to a sitting position. The small bedroom was dark, too dark to see properly. She stared at the overhead light, willing it to burn. The soft glow it emitted allowed her to inspect the various artifacts inside the room.

Like the decrepit wallpaper that peeled off around the edges. It used to have rocking horses and flowers, like the room had once been a nursery of some sort, but most of the colors had faded. In the right light, everything looked like eyes that were watching her. A star hung above the door frame, the lacquered wood glinting in the light. It's purpose had not yet been revealed to her, but the teen had a strong suspicion that her mother could use it to monitor her behavior.

Fabric shifted on the floor, and her eyes moved to follow its contours. The blanket that covered Kathrynne was thinner than her own, and she could only imagine how cold the flagstone floor was. The older woman had insisted that Pacifica couldn't afford to be nice and share the other blanket. The ginger hoped that wasn't because the sleeping lady was being melodramatic about the whole killing Priscilla thing.

Ugh. The whole killing her mother thing. She hoped the demon that Dipper mentioned didn't fuck anything up. She had learned almost everything of value that her mother knew. The teen only needed to stick around for another week or so of learning before she had to do the thing. The murder thing. She stared at her hands, which were sitting in her lap but still shaking from the exertion of using magic while asleep. Maybe they were also shaking from nerves.

She didn't want to kill her mother. She couldn't. She had to, though. Priscilla Northwest had mercilessly murdered many people, either through manipulation or her own cold-blooded actions. Pacifica didn't want to go down that path. She hoped that this wasn't the start of an extended lifetime of bloodshed.

The teen swept the blankets off of her legs, stepped over the sleeping succubus on the floor, and cast a quick spell to freshen up her clothes for the day. Placing her hand on the door, the ginger took a deep breath. If she could live through the next two weeks, she could do anything. She turned the knob, and walked as confidently as she could. Her mother's workroom was just as cavernous and long as when she first awoke within it's confines. She ran a hand over a shelf of dusty bottled as she walked. Today was the day her mother showed her where the exit was.

"Good morning, darling. I trust you're well rested?" Priscilla's honeyed voice drifted through the room. Pacifica forced a smile, something she never had to do around Dipper and Mabel.

"Sure am. You wanted to bring me outside to find potion ingredients today?" Pacifica tried not to sound excited. The last time she had been excited to go outside, her mother had cancelled the trip just to fuck with her.

Her mother turned from her smoking cauldron, eyes alight from the inside with violet hues. Pacifica raised her chin, not daring to look away.

"I heard you talking to Dipper Pines."

Pacifica blinked, heart picking up speed. She had to play it cool.

"Must have been a dream."

"So, in your dreams you want to kill me? Is that it?"

The ginger's blood turned to ice in her veins. What was she supposed to do? Her brain scrambled to think of something to say, but failed.

"So. I birth you, raise you, and teach you magic. And this is how you repay me. Consorting with gangly, poor teenagers who know not with what they planning to kill me. Is it because he botched the job last time?"

Pacifica's hands turned to fists at her sides, "That wasn't him. Dipper wouldn't hurt a fly."

Her mother clapped her hands together, eliminating the fluorescent lights. The only remaining glow came from the cauldron behind her mother, staining the room with faint purple light. Pacifica stood her ground as her mother took a step forward. The ceiling shook, spraying bits of dust everywhere. Pacifica squinted as she looked up. Sunlight filtered down from above, catching on dust and debris as if fell to their feet.

"It sounds like we have company. Let's get this over with so I can have a chat with him."The ginger barely had time to throw up a shield before the contents of her mother's cauldron boiled over the edge and streamed through the air towards her face. The liquid cooled as soon as it was blocked, forming a hard material that couldn't be broken. Pacifica backed up, eyes searching the dark room for any sign of her mother. She willed the lights on as she backed into something that latched onto her arms.

She turned, seeing nothing but vines and leaves. The teen tried to rip her arms free, but the plant merely held her tighter. Something sharp and cold dug into her neck, spilling some of her warm blood. She stilled, her eyes the only things to move. Her mother smirked.

"You will never beat me until you can use your magic to see." Priscilla tilted her head, large lips turning down in a slight frown.

"I guess that will never happen."

Pacifica glared, then spoke a single word. Her hair erupted into blue flames that licked over her face, sparing only her clothes and body. The plant behind her withered until it was nothing but ash. Her mother's knife melted, the metal dripping harmlessly to the floor. The fire brushed The older woman's hand, causing the skin to blister and crackle.

"You will never beat me, period." Pacifica snapped her fingers, forcing her mother to meet her gaze. She stepped forward, blue flames bathing the room in wintry light.

"Remember when you said that our lifespans only relied on willpower?" Fear blossomed in Priscilla's violet eyes. The brunette gasped for air. Pacifica ignored the burning sensation of regret that took over her heart.

"That was only because you've never encountered someone more powerful than you." She reached out, blue flames leaping from her to her mother. For a few seconds that felt more like minutes, nothing happened. Then, Priscilla started to scream. Just noise that made the ginger want to cover her ears and hide. The dying witch then spoke her final words.

"I'm not going out alone." Pacifica readied herself for an attack, but nothing came. Her mother was soon nothing but a pile of ash. The teen fell to her knees, tears streaming from her eyes as she let the consequences of her actions sink in.

She was capable of murder. Small sounds escaped her mouth as she cried, pitiful sounds.

"Pacifica…"

Kathrynne's weak voice stopped her panic mid attack. The teen wiped her eyes, then sloppily rose to her feet and trotted to the bedroom.

The succubus was on the floor, blankets strewn about. Blood seeped between the green haired woman's teeth, dribbling down her neck and matting in her wild curls. Pacifica felt her own heart stop beating.

"Kathrynne. J-just stay calm, it'll be okay-" She dropped to her bruised knees again, patting the woman's stomach in search of a wound. She found nothing.

"I appreciate… the optimism, dear."

Tears blurred her vision. She found the woman's hands and pulled them to her chest. Kathrynne didn't deserve to die there like that.

"Take my energy, as much as you need to heal. Just don't die! You have to get back to Aric, to make amends, to be the person you've always wanted to be!" Her voice cracked. When the succubus had finally been allowed to speak, she had only talked about how she had screwed up as a sister. How Aric hated her because she had been selfish when she was younger. Pacifica didn't know what it was like to be the older sibling, but she knew that everyone deserved a second chance.

"It wouldn't help, hon. I can't regrow organs." The woman's deep blue eyes shut, a few tears escaping from under her long lashes. She weakly squeezed Pacifica's hands.

"Please, just tell him to stay alive. He can't follow me, he-" Her breathing got even more shallow and quick. Pacifica leaned closer.

"He has to live, Pacifica." The succubus' grip failed. Her face stilled. A long few minutes later, her chest stopped moving as well. Pacifica pressed her forehead against the dead demon's fingertips, losing her thoughts in her emotions.

The ceiling shook again, raining far more than dust upon the basement lair. Pacifica raised her head, too drained to cast her shield spell. She couldn't stay underground, and she couldn't leave her friend either. Her mother had a few mana potions somewhere, but the teen had no earthly idea where they might be. She closed her eyes, but the image of the room kept projecting in her mind's eye. The teen took a deep breath, ignoring the salty sting of tears on her cheeks.

Her mind view shifted to the larger room, slowly leading her to where the potions were. She drew a small circle on the ground in the dust and pebbles, then tapped it twice. Two and a half bottles appeared in the circle as a splintering headache wreaked havoc on her temples. The teen took the half bottle and, avoiding the sharp edge of the glass that had been cut off by the spell, downed the oozy liquid. Her headache dissipated, although her stomach threatened to send the liquid back to where it had come from. Once the nausea settled, Pacifica scooped up the second bottle, grimaced, then chugged it too.

Feeling refreshed with magic buzzing through her veins, the ginger carefully stood up. The ceiling shook a third time, and she called up a hemispherical shield to protect herself and Kathrynne's body from the falling chunks of stone. She carefully hauled the lifeless woman onto her shoulder, then trudged towards the stairs that her mother had used to enter and exit the room. They led to a door that only opened for a specific spell.

The walls around the door didn't have to obey any spells. She let her magical fire eat up the wood and paper surrounding the door, then quenched it by inhaling. She carefully stepped around the door, disturbing small piles of ash with her ragged sneakers. A deep voice echoed across the landscape.

" _I hear my cowardly son is in this miserable little town. I think I'll wipe it from the map once and for all."_


	33. Chapter 33

Dipper stood at the mouth of the cave, hair on end as a large figure descended from the cloud cover. All warm and fuzzy feelings that he had had after dreaming of Pacifica were gone, leaving only stone cold fear taking up all the free space in his gut. Aric put a hand on his shoulder, causing the brunette to turn and see what he had never expected to see on the man's face. His eyes were glowing, rage making color rise into his pale cheeks.

"Stay inside, Dipper. There's no point in both of us dying." The blonde stepped forward before he could say anything in response. Once Aric was three feet away, a large piece of rock jutted from the earth, launching the immortal into the sky towards his looming father figure. Dipper watched as the blonde turned into magma and landed, then he ran back into the cave to get his sister.

"Mabel! Mabel!" He skidded to a stop in front of the armchair where she was lounging.

"Yeah?" She tucked her phone back into her pocket and met his terrified gaze.

"Did you not hear that? Or feel it?" He panted, still sort of breathless from his wild sprint. Mabel shrugged and made a confused face.

"Aric's demon father is here, in Gravity Falls. Right now. He's trying to fight the dude by himself. We have to help!"

Mabel was on her feet and in the corridor in three seconds flat, "Come on!"

Dipper hastily followed her out the door, then bumped into her as she stopped just outside the cave mouth.

"Where? I don't see anything?"

Dipper looked up, feeling every magical blow that shattered the sky and earth. Colors flared, orange and blue and pink. Aric must have been on the ground, closer to his element. He looked at Mabel, who was squinting upwards and looking everywhere except where the huge honking demon was. He blinked, his vision going aquamarine. She couldn't see the battle. She couldn't see demons. She was in so much danger. He grabbed her elbow.

"Go back inside."

She jerked out of his grip, "No, if Aric is in danger I want to help!"

His temper flared, "Mabel, they're demons and you can't see them! I can, so I'll go help because you can't!"

The sting on his cheek hurt twice as much as it should have. His head jerked to the side as his sister pulled her hand back, shaking it slightly.

"You will not exclude me from helping. I can and will do my best to help the two of you. Now lead the way, buster. We have a town and a friend to save."

Dipper rubbed his cheek, but extended his free hand towards his sibling. She took it, and followed closely behind as the shorter twin started walking closer to the disturbances in magic.

They came across the fight scene sooner than Dipper was expecting, but by that time he was so addled by the strong waves of magic that he barely noticed the change in scenery. Mabel's tight grip on his hand was the only thing that kept him from walking into a stream of lava. He looked up in time to see Aric's glowing white form get ripped in half by a massive set of hands. The elemental screamed, making Dipper's ears ring in an echo of pain.

The blonde slipped to the ground. Mabel's hand wrenched out of his grip as she raced towards the fallen blonde. Dipper saw the large demon's gaze shift from Aric to Mabel. He rushed forward without thinking, hands reaching to block whatever attack was going towards his sister. Black clouds congealed around his hands, turning flesh and bone into ooze and didn't hurt, but his blood no longer had muscle to flow to, so it spilled over the ground.

The world went teal as rage bubbled from the tips of his toes to the ends of his hair. He felt his bones crack out of place, his muscles elongate. His skin turned to stone. Before long, he had hands again. He wiggled the new digits, noting how long and sharp his claws were. Dipper smiled as he looked up at the larger and more powerful being before him. His spine cracked as wings sprouted from his shoulder blades.

"Hey there, you nasty fuck. Touch my sister and I'll peel your skin from your bones." Anger hissed between his fangs. He was ready to kill to protect his own. He would mow down anything in his way. The skyscraper tall demon let out a low, rumbly laugh.

" _Good luck with that, pintsize."_

Dipper grinned. Let magic pool around his claws. Licked his lips. The demon breathed more of the black fog. The gargoyle lunged into the fray.

* * *

Mabel didn't hear what her brother was saying to the demon, but she knew he wasn't human anymore. Aric was definitely too hot to touch, but she couldn't stop trying. His beautiful, angular face was in pieces on the ground. Tears pooled in her eyes as her brother lunged towards the demon. The brunette stuffed her hands into her sweater sleeves and touched one of Aric's cheekbones through the thick fabric, flinching at how hot her friend's skin was. One of his hot yellow eyes flickered open. She leaned in close, barely catching the words that floated from his mouth.

" _Where's my other half?"_

Mabel took a deep breath, then dragged the limp half of his body a little closer. She didn't think the elemental would even be alive after a blow like that. She wiped a stray tear from her cheek, heart picking up it's pace.

" _Thanks. I'll be fine, go somewhere safe…"_

The girl glared. She was not having that bullshit.

"Aric, I can help. You focus on whatever it is that you're doing and I'll offer assistance." She didn't expect him to nod, and she also didn't expect him to turn into molten lava. She jumped backwards, fixated on her friend's body for a moment, then looked at what Dipper was doing.

Her twin was a gargoyle again, flitting around the larger, slower demon like a gnat around a brown speckled banana. She grimaced as clouds of black smoke started to take over the sky. The demon was a vague blur in her vision, taller than the Mystery Shack but with no other discernible features. She pulled her grappling hook out, then rifled through her mental bin of research she had been doing lately. Since Dipper had lost his journal, she had been looking into common lore and stuff.

She had no holy water, no iron, no salt, and no crucifixes. She had to get away, gather supplies, then come back. Surely Aric had some iron or something around his workshop. She shot her grappling hook into the treeline as Aric slowly reformed and Dipper darted around the ever increasing minefield of smoke.

Iron would definitely help.

* * *

Pacifica left Kathrynne's limp corpse under a sturdy tree, folding the woman's arms like she was in a coffin for viewing. Or the subject of a beautiful Renaissance painting. Magical energy shuffled across her grid. The ginger stood, casting a spell of protection around the area. She glanced over her shoulder, seeing the greater demon fighting something akin to a hummingbird in the woods. She sharpened her vision, focusing on- It was Dipper. Her heart fluttered with worry. He was a gargoyle again, and she couldn't feel his gem on her magical grid. The young witch inhaled shakily, sent up a prayer for her dead friend, then started trotting towards the carnage.

* * *

It was a miracle that Aric could find anything in his workshop, because all Mabel could see was an assortment of gems. She scoured high and low in the rock confines, finding nothing but gems and silver and gold. Surely a jeweler would have iron? The brunette pulled her hair into a ponytail, then searched the desk once more. One of the drawers wouldn't budge and she couldn't find a key. The teen threw the whole thing onto it's side, then fiddled with the drawer fastenings for a few minutes, acutely aware of how much time she was wasting.

The lock disengaged. She dragged the drawer from it's spot, spilling some jewelry about the floor. Photographs spilled from their small envelope. She felt a pang of guilt that turned into surprise as a small pistol hit the floor. She had no idea what the fuck model it was, but it had a revolving barrel. She managed to open it to find it fully loaded. She had no idea what the crap sort of bullets they were, but it looked like an old yet well cared for gun, so she pocketed it. The drawer had a false bottom. Mabel ignored the guilty feeling that tingled in her fingertips as she snooped. A large iron cross, akin to a World War Two military decoration, was swaddled in a piece of blue cloth. She tucked that into her pocket as well. Who knew if it would help or not?

The teen ran out of the workroom, through the living area, down the front hall, and back out into the open in time to hear a blood-curdling screech. Her steps faltered as she looked up, seeing her brother plummet from cloud level to the treeline. Fear shocked her legs into stumbling over her own weight. The brunette quickly caught herself, pulled out the grappling gun, and made her way through the trees like how spiderman made his way through New York City.

* * *

Aric felt like he had been hit by a truck, which would have actually been less stressful than what truly happened. The blonde flexed his arms as his spine reknit and ignored as his energy ran hella low. He couldn't afford to lose this fight. Too much was at stake. He slowly sat up, eyes too blurry to use properly. He closed them and focused on who was standing where. His father was fifty feet away, his magical powers distorted the air around his form. Dipper was a small blue blip on his radar, fading in and out as he got closer then farther away.

The elemental stood up, then raised his arm. The earth started to rumble as his friend suddenly fell from the sky. Magma heated the dirt and trees around his father's feet. Trees started glowing as they burst into flame. Aric opened his eyes, then directed the lava up his father's legs and told it to cool. Rock trapped the demon in place as more flowed up and cooled, cocooning the creature in layer upon layer of rock. Dipper hit a tree that wasn't yet on fire. Aric's father struggled against the liquid rock.

" _Aric, what is the use of this struggle? You know I can defeat and kill you and your friends with ease."_ The demon lifted an arm, black smoke congealing around his thickly muscled appendage. Aric ignored his probably true statement in favor of lighting the bastard up. He laughed, the flames going from natural red and orange to the same teal as Dipper's eyes.

" _Our elements are aligned, son. Your measly fire can never scorch what rages within me."_

The blonde blanched as Dipper screamed from his tree perch. Something orange that wasn't fire shifted in the treeline. Aric felt the gargoyle fall from his branch as a girl with incredibly ginger hair strutted confidently onto the battlefield.

Mabel screamed from outside of his earthly radar.

"Pacifica, get back!"

Something that sounded like a gun went off, and his father stopped breathing for a moment as silver blood drained from a pinprick-like hole in his chest. Power and anger radiated like waves from an ocean. Aric felt like he was drowning, oxygen leaving his body like water from a sieve. The ginger raised her hand and snapped her fingers, causing everything in the ravaged clearing to go still.

* * *

Dipper was trapped under scorching pine branches. He couldn't struggle, as whatever spell Pacifica had cast kept both him and the large demon from moving. His gaze stayed on his girlfriend as she slowly lowered her hand.

"Paetrechar. Strongest demon of the tenth level. You have come to this town not knowing that it was being guarded by a witch of the highest calibre."

The demon shouted something in a language the gargoyle didn't understand. Pacifica held her ground.

"Speak English, asshole."

The being laughed, wrenching an arm free from her spell. She blanched. Dipper struggled against the spell, fury making heat rise into his face. He wanted to fight, to cleave this fucker in two.

" _I will do as I please, little girl."_

Dipper felt a hand wrap around his torso, breaking the spell that kept him from moving. He bit and scratched and kicked at the being whose grip was so tight, but did little to no damage. Teal light glowed around his marble skin, only to be snuffed out as the hand squeezed until bones cracked and strained. He gasped.

" _I think I will inhabit this one. It will be easier to aim if my body suits my surroundings."_

Dipper tried to struggle again, but the demon's energy slowly crawled into his body, usurping his arms and legs. He twitched as his lungs stopped working. He fell once more, landing in a pool of cooling lava. The heat barely registered. His eyes clouded over, then cleared until everything was in hyper focus. Trees that had lived through the flaming massacre glowed a dull green. Everything glowed with a faint aura. It was like looking through holographic lenses. Dipper's stomach recoiled at the garish sight. His arm lifted of it's own accord, and planted the palm flat against some nearby dirt. His mouth opened, a deep chuckle ringing through the clearing. That wasn't his doing. That wasn't his voice. Something burned so hot in his throat. What was happening?

"Wow, this kid's voice is fucking annoying. It'll have to do, though." That was his voice, but he didn't want to say that? He tried to blink, but his eyelids wouldn't function. His gaze shifted to Pacifica's face as he stood, liquified rock slowly dripping from his form. She looked absolutely horrified, her mouth hanging slightly open and her hand raised as though she were about to cast a spell. Her eyes held nothing but fear. The burning sensation in his throat intensified.

"Oh, I'm sorry girly. Was this thing important to you?" Dipper felt his hand flap towards his chest. Aric stood behind Pacifica, glowing a bright white. He was about to do something. Mabel sprinted out of the treeline, shielding the demon controlling his body from any attack that the two magic users might throw.

"Guys, we can't hurt Dipper! He's my brother!" Pacifica turned to look at Aric, who was glowing considerably less. Dipper felt his body jerk forward. He tried to get it to stop moving. He knew the jerk who had taken over was going to hurt his sister. He couldn't let that happen. He couldn't hurt her, he couldn't do anything to stop him.

Aric lunged forward, but was a few seconds too late. The demon had grabbed his twin's hair and yanked her backwards. She screamed, desperately trying to twist out of his grip. He pulled her against his chest. Dipper was screaming, but his voice wasn't his anymore.

"Ah-ah-ah, you're too late, Aric. It's incredible how weak you've become. A hundred years ago we were almost equally matched. Almost. Now you're barely more than a human. A human who has lived too long and has grown so clumsily attached to human ways. You make me sick." Mabel shifted in the demon's grip, freeing one of her arms. She signed something to Pacifica, which Dipper only knew because he could see his girlfriend shaking her head. Then she shook her head even more furiously.

"What are you girlies talking about?" Dipper rooted through his brain, desperate to find a way to get the demon out of his body. He couldn't think of anything that Mabel hadn't already tried given her current knowledge. Mainly, the shooting the demon thing. That apparently didn't work.

 _I can't believe these bitches aren't dead yet._

What. The. Hell. He didn't think that. That thought hadn't even been in his voice. Another similar thought floated through his mind. He blinked, then realized that he had done that and not the demon. Maybe he could- As soon as he realized that he had autonomy of some sort, his stomach erupted in fire and hatred. He was furious. These humans had no right standing up to him like this. He was a fucking king back where he came from. A magical entity of the highest calibre and a near god in his own right.

But why would he kill them? Surely such kind people didn' deserve his wrath. He blinked, the fire back as Pacifica and Mabel switched to yelling at each other. His arms were locked around his twin, her human aura clearly visible in his highly developed vision. It was weird being the taller twin. But he was larger than the surrounding treeline, normally. Perhaps it was weird being so tiny instead of so tall? He could kill the human so easily. With just a slight twist of her arm he could-

He threw Mabel to the ground, a lot harder than he had intended, yet somehow nowhere near as hard as he really wanted.

"Get away!" He stumbled backwards, losing control of his legs as the demon went to kick. Flames licked up his throat, tinting his words with fire and smoke. He was so scared, but so in control of the situation.

He wanted to murder them. Dipper's gaze locked onto Pacifica. She would be the hardest to kill. He couldn't kill her. He could, though. He had killed her parents, and thousands of witches before her. And millions of humans. He smirked, but the expression faltered as the fires of his anger melted away.

Mabel scrambled over to Pacifica and Aric, hiding behind the elemental as though he could stop anything bad from happening. Dipper blinked, seeing auras around everything, then seeing only what the natural world provided, then auras again. " _Kill everything_ ," part of his brain screamed. " _Lay waste to these pitiful beings and this luscious landscape_ ," it continued. Tears leaked from one of his eyes as the only solution he could think of crept up the back of his mind like spiders. He was scared.

"Guys, I'm sorry- Shut up brat!" His mouth was hijacked again. Pacifica stared, hands raised and ready to cast spells. Mabel shook her head, tears rolling down her pretty cheeks. Aric mostly looked confused, but neither Dipper nor the demon had ever been good at reading the blonde's emotions. They didn't know what he was thinking. They didn't want to admit their one weakness.

Their moral side won out over the slowly cooling fires of hatred. They opened their mouth once final time.

"I won't be in control for long. Destroy me. I'm an abomination, demon and demon combined. Too powerful to live. Too dangerous to be left on Earth." Their voice was strained with emotion, too many mixed together to properly put a name to. They closed their eyes, legs locking so that they couldn't chicken out. they wanted to run away, to regroup, to fight back. They had to stay still and make things easier for their enemies. They had to die.

* * *

Pacifica couldn't look at Mabel. Deep down, she knew Dipper was right. She knew that the only way to keep a demon from destroying everything was to kill it. She blinked tears away, memories of Kathrynne's death intertwining with those of her mother's. She looked at Aric, who was visibly shaking. He was too drained to cast any more magic. It was a miracle he was holding onto his human form. She couldn't look at Mabel.

"No, Dipper! There has to be another way!" Mabel's voice shook, and she dropped the gun she had somehow acquired. Pacifica closed her eyes, reaching out with her mind to gauge Dipper's situation. His body was in turmoil, hot and cold at war deep within. They were slowly mixing, smoothing out, balancing. She knew that, as a gargoyle, Dipper's would not be the dominant personality. Paetrechar was too powerful to not get his way. She locked onto Mabel, who was shellshocked, nothing but grey and swirling masses of anxiety and fear. Losing Dipper would be like losing the left half of her body.

Pacifica opened her eyes, severing the spell. She took a deep breath, ignoring Mabel's sobs and focused on Dipper. The shape of his cheeks reminded her of their first kiss. When the moon was high above their tree and she had thought that college was the only thing keeping them apart. How his hands no longer held any of his nervous habits, or his loving ones. She missed when he would hold her hand. She would miss him for a very long time. But if she had to choose a world with him or without him, she had to pick without. There were too many lives at stake, too many people who wanted to live another day. It felt selfish to pick him over the world, over her own well-being. The ginger stepped forward, placing a hand on top of Mabel's head. The brunette looked at her, nothing but pain and frantic fear in her eyes.

"I'm sorry." Pacifica cast the sleeping spell before her betrayal could sink in. Aric caught the brunette as she fell, cradling the teen to his chest. He didn't say anything. Pacifica didn't want him to. He might change her mind. The world couldn't afford that.

"Dipper?"

The demon's eyes opened, one red and one the familiar aquamarine that shone like sunlight through water. He stared, muscles shifting and straining to be free of his hold. Pacifica ignored the tears that freely fell from her eyes. She had to be strong. To protect the world from all evil.

"I love you."

The smile that crossed his face was so much like his old self that she almost lost her guts. Her heart ripped in two as he closed his eyes one last time.

"I love you, too, Pacifica. Please…" She couldn't wait any longer. She wouldn't kill him if she waited. She snapped her fingers, Her magical fire sprung up at his feet, consuming his life force in stead of burning like real flame. He didn't make any noise. She couldn't look away as he crumbled into a pile of ash. She didn't know she had pitched forward until her knees were in the dirt and tears wrecked her vision so bad that the world was nothing but a blur. The ground was grey. Her skin was grey. Everything was a wash of grey. She pressed her forehead into the dirt, desperate for anything to help keep her rooted in the present. When she was empty of tears, the young witch slowly sat up, dizzy from water loss and the swirling emotions that deadened her senses.

Aric took a step closer, still cradling Dipper's twin. Pacifica stared at the sleeping girl's face, seeing Dipper in every curve and freckle. She couldn't stop staring.

"You aren't going to want to be here when she wakes up, Pacifica." Aric's voice was as gentle as a bombing squad on patrol. The ginger blinked, unable to process.

"I'm going to take her to my place, she might forgive me. But you have to get away while you can." She nodded, hoping that he would just leave. He did. Pacifica stared at the grass where Dipper's remains slowly eddied away from their pile. She reached forward and grabbed a handful. They were softer than sand. She slowly stood up, body protesting every motion. Everything hurt. She swiped her free hand over her stinging eyes, then took a step away from Gravity Falls.

Then another.

And another.

Soon, she was alone in the trees, nothing but a girl who had lost everything.

* * *

A/N: Hey everyone, thanks for sticking with me until the very end! This is the longest story I've ever posted for other human beings to read. It was a wild ride from start to finish, and I want to say thank you! I would have lost motivation early on if nobody had liked and followed and sent reviews. Thank you thank you thank you for your support! I hope you love this story as much as I do.

Also, I cried in public while writing this. Just in case you're all pissed at me for killing Dipper. It killed me to write it this way, but I saw no other way out of that whole shebang. You can snicker at me for being a bubble blowing weenie if that'll make you feel better.

One last time, for the people in the back: THANK YOU for reading and enjoying! I hope you'll continue to read my stories in the future. 3


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